Taken
by ToastTSA
Summary: Feli didn't see the dark shadow slowly growing behind him. Or the fist rising to strike him. It all had happened so fast. One moment he was talking to Ludwig, the next he was face down in the pavement. No one could of stopped them. And now he's in the palm of their hands. And they couldn't be happier. 2p Hetalia story - 2p! Italy, 2p! Japan, 2p! America, etc. etc. Lots of history.
1. Chapter 1: Who's That Man in the Shadows

**A/N: The reason I came up with this story is because I couldn't find very good 2p! Hetalia stories. Maybe it was because I was just looking in the wrong section but the ones I came across were pretty bad. Of course I did find a couple that I did enjoy reading, but aside from that I couldn't. Plus, many of the stories involved 2p! England sleeping with another character. Though I don't hate those stories, I still tried to find a story with my favorite character, 2p! Italy, that was actually fairly decent. And thus this story was born! I hope you enjoy it, as you can see it is still a work in progress. Any suggestions are openly welcomed (as long as they aren't extremely stupid). Also constructive criticism is something I don't mind. But if you decide that you want to yell and scream nonsense then that's your damn fault.**

_Quick List o' Names just so you don't get confused!_

Luciano Vargas: N. Italy  
Leonardo Vargas: Romano/S. Italy  
Kaspar: Germany  
Lanzo Beilschmidt: Prussia  
Kuro Honda: Japan  
Sebastian Fernandez Carriedo: Spain  
Allan Jones: America  
Oliver Kirkland: England  
Jean (Pronounced John) Joc Bonnefoy: France  
Viktor Braginski: Russia  
Jian Wang: China  
Andrew Williams: Canada

Feliciano Vargas: N. Italy  
Lovino Vargas: Romano/S. Italy  
Ludwig: Germany  
Gilbert Beilschmidt: Prussia  
Honda Kiku: Japan  
Alfred F. Jones: America  
Arthur Kirkland: England  
Ivan Braginski: Russia  
Francis Bonnefoy: France  
Wang Yao: China  
Matthew Williams: Canada  
Roderich Edelstein: Austria  
Elizaveta Hedervary: Hungary  
Antonio Fernandez Carriedo: Spain

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE**

**Who's That Man in the Shadows?  
**

Feliciano wandered around the small mini mart, grabbing anything and everything he possibly use in his pasta dinner. He bought bags of flour, cartons of eggs, and plenty of other ingredients that could be used in his special 'secret' sauce. "Garlic, sugar, tomatoes..." he mumbled to himself as he surveyed the shelves. Whenever Feliciano goes shopping he often spends a couple of hours in the store. He always tried to get the best ingredients he can possibly find, always wanting to make dinner a bit of a special occasion, even if, in reality, there wasn't one.

Feliciano happily hummed to himself as he skipped around the store. About thirty minutes later he had a basket full of ingredients. He carried it all the way to the checkout counter before putting the basket down. He placed his items on the conveyor belt and smiled at the clerk. He nodded in return and quickly went back to scanning everything and placing them in bags. This was one of those '15 or less' checkouts so it wasn't very busy. But because of this it also didn't have anyone else bagging things.

As Feliciano opened his wallet to pull out a couple of dollar bills, he suddenly felt like he was being watched. Feliciano wasn't exactly a very paranoid person. He didn't always think of things before they happened and thanks to this he usually just surrendered or ran away before anything bad could really happened. But when he felt like he was being watched, he was usually correct. He looked around, scanning the entire area.

He quickly turned around and handed the clerk the money. There was a couple of people behind him and he didn't intend to keep the line held up. He grabbed the couple of bags and stepped away from the counter. Looking around, he didn't realize that he looked at the person multiple times. It wasn't until the clouds uncovered the sun that Feliciano managed to see a silhouetted figure. He couldn't really make out the figure. Barely any of their facial features were visible, all he could really identify were the violet eyes and fez on the his head.

The man appeared to be staring right at Italy, who quickly became uncomfortable. He turned to the door and rushed out, nearly colliding with a shopping cart full of waffles and soda. "Sorry!" Feliciano blurted out before rushing back to his car.

It wasn't exactly his car, it was Germany's old black BMW. He got a new one and since most of Italy's previous cars ended up in junk yards he figured he could give that old one away. All it was really doing was collecting dust in the driveway anyway. And now if the car did end up in bust he could sell the scraps.

Italy unlocked the door and stepped inside, throwing the grocery bags to the passenger side. He closed the door and attempted to start up the car. But each time he tried to turn it on the engine started and shook the car for a moment then died off. He turned the key multiple times, no luck. The car was dead. He stepped out in an attempt to find the problem. It took him a moment to realize that he was standing in oil. He kneeled down and saw the pipes busted. Oil was pouring out of them.

Feliciano stood up and pulled out his phone. He called Ludwig, the first person he decided he would call. When he answered Feliciano started blabbering about what was going on.

"Germany! Germany! I'm at the supermarket and I just bought some stuff for pasta and I saw this guy and he was staring at me so I ran to my car and-" Feliciano was talking so fast Ludwig could barely understand him. He was about to speak up and tell Feliciano to slow down when the voice on the other end of the line suddenly cut off. He heard nothing except something collapsing.

"Italy?" Ludwig asked nervously. He could hear something rustling and heavy breathing. And then the line went dead.


	2. Chapter 2: The Supermarket

**I will try to update this as often as possible. I'm going to be a bit busy but I'll work on it whenever I get a chance!**

* * *

Feli didn't see the dark shadow slowly growing behind him**. **Or the fist rising to strike him. It all had happened so fast. One moment he was talking to Ludwig, the next he was face down in the pavement.

The clouds darkened the sky, hiding the man as he bashed poor Feli into the back of the car. His head hit hard against the trunk, leaving a slight dent in it. The man struggled to subdue the Italian. Though half conscious, he still thrashed around. But it didn't take very long before he was out cold. He lifted him up over his shoulders and carried him out of the parking lot.

It wasn't a surprise when the clouds completely covered the sky, and rain started to pour down from the heavens. It just allowed the attacker a quicker escape.

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO**

**The Supermarket**

Once the phone went dead he tried calling again. A storm was brewing so he figured the signal was just bad. Three attempts later, Ludwig began to panic. The next world meeting was less than half an hour away. Ludwig figured Feliciano would probably end up meeting him there, and everything would be sorted out. Ludwig prayed that Feli was fine. They had been friends for quite some time now, and no matter how annoying or weak he was, he was still a friend.

Ludwig put away his phone and grabbed his car keys. His dogs crowded around his legs as he left. He left a couple of sausages in their bowls just so they had something to eat later before he was out the door and gone.

Ludwig arrived at the world meeting about five minutes before it was scheduled to start. Arthur and Francis were there, bickering, and Alfred was in the middle, trying to pick a fight with either of them. Kiku was quietly sitting at the other end near Yao and Gilbert. Ivan was poking Raivis and Eduard was trying to stay as far away as possible. Felix started acting a bit odd and Toris pleaded with him to stop.

"No Italy so far..." Ludwig murmured as he sat down in his seat. He was right next to Kiku who greeted him. "Hello Ludwig-san." Kiku said, Ludwig was just barely able to hear him though. The fight across the room started to exceeding to yells. It was only so long until fists would start flying. "Say Kiku, have you happened to see Feliciano today?" Kiku shook his head. "I haven't seen him at all. Why? Is something wrong?" Ludwig was hesitant. He wasn't sure if he could tell Kiku what exactly was going on.

He let out a sigh. "Ja. He called me earlier. He said something about a guy he saw. Before I could say anything he stopped talking and the line got cut off. I don't know what happened but I don't like it." The Japanese man nodded. "It's probably just a misunderstanding. I'm sure Feliciano-kun is fine." Ludwig wasn't sure, but he sure hoped Kiku was correct.

The meeting started soon after, still no Italy. But it appeared that no one noticed, as they were too busy arguing. Alfred was stuffing his face with burgers while taunting Francis. Arthur was yelling, and Francis was making fun of both of them. Really it was all nothing very new. Most meetings started and ended just like this one.

Small conversations started sprouting around the room. Most people were used to the constant fights between the three and were able to either ignore them completely or stay far enough away so they can just barely hear them. Ludwig, unfortunately, was one of the few unable to do either of these things. Japan appeared unphased the whole time. The noises didn't appear to bother him and he kind of seemed to doze off.

Ludwig was slowly losing his patience. He tried his best to control the anger building up inside of him.

Ludwig roughly slid his chair back and stood up. He needed to get out, get some fresh air. Who knows, maybe he'd just so happen to see an Italian running into the meeting late. He walked out of the room, few eyes trailing him as he did so. When he finally found his way outside he let out a sigh of relief and closed his eyes, just to enjoy the moment of silence that he'd been longing to have. He opened his eyes again and looked at the sky. The leaves were falling from the trees, not long from now winter would come.

He looked at the sky and watched an amber leaf fall off of one of the two trees outside of the meeting building. The building was large and elevated, a basic staircase leading to it's double door entrance. The outside was a beige color while the inside was red. Two giant trees were placed at the sides of the staircase, one to the left and one to the right. They were tended to year round and were now as tall as the building itself.

Many passersby would often gaze at them as they passed. The trees were nothing more than giant oaks, but people loved to watch them change throughout the seasons, Kiku being one of them. Sometimes after meetings he would sit on the staircase and watch leaves blossom or fall.

Ludwig found himself lost in thought, thinking all about the trees and whatnot. He came back to reality when someone began climbing the stairs. He looked down as a young fellow, just about as tall as Alfred, came strolling along. Ludwig couldn't help but compare their appearances in general. They both wore glasses and leather jackets with a number painted on the back. They both had those ahoges on their hairlines too. But everything about this man was dark. Everything from the tip of his hair to the heels of his boots.

He had dark brown hair and what appeared to be a blood stained T-shirt. He also had a suspicious smirk on his face. The man didn't make any eye contact with Ludwig, he simply glanced in his direction then went inside.

_'Must be another micronation.'_ He thought. Every so often a micro nation would show up and try to fit in with the rest of the countries. They often come to one or two meetings before either giving up or being destroyed altogether. Ludwig figured this was bound to happen to this wandering soul. He had never seen this small nation before, but it surprised him to see that this one was so grown up. It takes hundreds of years for countries to grow up, so that micronation has had to been around for quite a bit.

No more than a minute later the man walked out. He still had the same devious smile planted on his face. Halfway down the stairs a large folded letter fell out of his back pocket. Ludwig was hesitant at first, but went down and grabbed it.

The man was walking towards the street when Ludwig got to the end of the stairs, he rushed to the crosswalk. Unfortunately, the man was gone. He had disappeared between the rows of cars. Ludwig sighed, now what was he supposed to do? He desperately scanned the streets. But there was no sight of him. The man, whoever he was, was now long gone.

Ludwig looked down at his hands and scanned the letter. It wasn't sealed at all, and there was nothing that stated who it was from. It simply had a small folded over tab. He grabbed it and unfolded it. Under the the tab was "To Ludwig~" His heart skipped a beat or two. "Maybe it's just a misunderstanding..." He said under his breath. This could be a letter to any 'Ludwig' right?

_We have someone you know Luddy. If you want to find him again then go to Pysauer placae on Meahsntecr._  
_-2p_

Ludwig stood there, frozen in place. What did this mean? Who were they talking about? What was this jumble of letters?

He read the letter once or twice before pulling his arms down to his sides. He turned around and rushed towards the stairs. He needed to show this letter to the rest of the countries. Maybe they knew what this meant.

As he ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, he realized that he had missed something. On the step just below the one where he found the letter, was a picture. It was flipped over and the back was facing the sky. He gripped it and picked it up. The back had a date, time, and place on it.

The place was scrambled again, just as above. It stated "_Pysauer placae_, 11/3, 3:27am." Germany was unsure whether or not he should flip the picture. Maybe it would be best to leave it as is. Maybe he didn't want to know what was on the other side, and if he saw what it was he'd see something extremely disturbing.

He hesitantly turned the picture over and his eyes widened once more at what he saw.

It was a picture of Feliciano, his hand were restrained behind his back and his feet were chained together. He was on his side, tears flowing down the sides of his cheeks. His face was heavily bruised, a thick bandage was at the rim of his hairline. Despite this a thin line of blood still crept through a small crevice and slowly flowed down his forehead, stopping above his eyebrow. A thin cut on his cheek was also noted, half of it hidden by the shadows of the wall. A figure was just barely visible. It appeared to be someone standing next to the cameraman. Ludwig couldn't determine his height but he figured the person was shorter than he was. The man had a knife that he appeared to be twirling in his hand. He was wearing a hat of some sort, it appeared to be a fez at the least. The last thing he was just faintly able to identify was a curl, similar to Italy's, poking out on the left sde of his head.

It was enough, Ludwig rushed back into the meeting room and threw open the doors. Whether or not that was because he was angry or he was nervous didn't matter, but it caught everyone's attention. The conversations and fights stopped altogether as he ran over to the table.

"I have something everyone needs to see!" He yelled as he slammed the letter and picture down on the table. The room fell completely silent, you could only hear the uncomfortable German shift on his heels. He shut his eyes as he tried to pull together the right words. Kiku had slid over towards the end of the table and grabbed the picture. Before anyone had a chance to say a word Kiku put down the picture. "What... is this?" He asked as he looked over at Ludwig. He had placed his hands on his forehead and shielded his eyes from the rest of the room. Anyone could've outright said he was crying, but no one wanted to bring up the thought.

"I..." He said as he looked up at the rest of the room. "don't... know." He picked up the letter and picture and handed them to Kiku, who started to pass them around. Everyone who saw it seemed to get a worried look on their face. Especially Lovino, who was plain out furious. He started blurting out nonsense and curse words altogether, to no one in particular of course.

The pages were returned to Ludwig so he folded them back up and put them to the side. Kiku appeared to be deep in thought, and Ludwig couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. Arthur cleared his throat from across the table, and everyone gazed at him."As you can see, we have a situation on our hands." He said as he fixed his tie. "I say we should investigate. This could be a prank, but just to make sure we should find Feliciano."

People started murmuring in agreement all around the room. Everyone turned their gaze back to the Brit when he slammed his palm on the table. Silence returned to the room before he spoke. "Ludwig! Do you know anything that could help us?" He exclaimed across the table. Ludwig sat there in silence, thinking. "Well... he did mention he was at the supermarket over the phone. He also said he saw a man but I didn't manage to get a description before the line went dead."

Alfred shot out of his chair, shaking the table and pushing a startled Frenchman to the floor. "THEN THAT'S WHERE WE'LL START!"

* * *

And thus the search began. The Axis and Allies went off to the supermarket where Feliciano was supposingly at when he was last heard from. The rest of the countries went searching elsewhere, or just didn't care in general and left the meeting without another word.

"Well, I guess we should find the car." Ludwig mumbled as they arrived in the parking lot. It was a lot darker on this side of town. The sky was gray and it was still raining from earlier that day. "Wow, this is depressing." Alfred blurted out, it seemed as if it was supposed to be more of a joke than a statement. "Shut up Alfred." Arthur mumbled under his breath.

The drive to the supermarket was long and uncomfortable. They had squeezed into Arthur's Mini Cooper (it was the only car they had since most walked to the world meetings, or took a cab), since the taxi drivers all refused to drive the 40+ miles or so to get there.

So Arthur and Kiku were sitting up front while everyone else was stuffed in the back. Ludwig was crushed against the car door next to Francis. Alfred was in the middle, driving just about everyone crazy. Ivan was to his left, and Yao was half on his lap, half on the door. And to add to that, Francis and Yao didn't have seat belts either.

"Lets hope we don't get pulled over..." Francis had said when they first entered the car. It didn't help that once they actually got to the supermarket, they only had one umbrella. Ivan ended up holding it over himself and everyone walked next to him, trying to stay as far away from his as they possibly could. All except for Alfred, who just ran through the rain, flailing his arms and laughing his head off like an eight year old child who was just given thirty dollars at a candy store.

Arthur had mumbled an insult under his breath as they surveyed the area. It took awhile to actually find the car. The parking lot was surprisingly big and packed to the brink with pickups and vans. "Maybe there's some sort of an event going on in town?" Yao suggested. Along the way they had seen a couple of banners, but the color was being drained out of them by the rainfall.

Ivan saw the BMW first, and pointed it out to the others. But it was a couple rows ahead of them and they couldn't see it at all. So then they spent about another ten minutes dashing between cars and apologizing to any passing drivers. When they finally got there, the first thing they saw was the spilt groceries. One of the three bags was torn open and was ransacked for most of it's items. The other two were untouched, but many of the jars and trinkets inside had fallen out and were scattered around the parking lot.

'_How come no one noticed this?_' Ludwig thought to himself as he examined the bags. Hadn't anyone walking by noticed it and maybe got some help to make sure whoever they belonged to were safe? Apparently not. The car door was also opened halfway, but that was the least of their worries. The next thing they saw was the dent in the trunk. The car, though old, had never been in an accident. The dent was recently added to the exterior, and quickly caught the eyes of everyone.

It wasn't long after that the bloodstain was discovered. Arthur questioned how the stain had managed to surpass through the many waves of rain that had fallen that day. The blood was dry now, but had formed a small puddle. "Someone was laying in it." Ivan told them as he stared down at it. "But not for too long." He added. Alfred knelt over and saw the oil trailing out from under the car. "Someone sabotaged the oil. Hey- what's this?" He reached under the car and grabbed at something. Suddenly he pulled out a white cloth. It took them all a moment to realize what it really was, a white flag.

"I-Italy?"

* * *

**A/N: Sorry if the ending was a bit random, or sudden. I was a bit puzzled on how to really end this thing. The world meeting was going all well for me, then I started stumbling a bit. And then this happened.**


	3. Chapter 3: Lucky Fellow

**A/N: Sorry if this is a bit late. As I said before I was having a bit of trouble coming up with the ending for the previous chapter. But I promised a certain someone I would update before Christmas, so here it is. This chapter takes place at the same time of the world meeting, just before the picture and letter are 'delivered'. It's also in Italy's POV. **

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE**

**Lucky Fellow**

Feliciano slowly started regaining his consciousness. His head throbbed with pain as he attempted to sit up. How long had he been out? Last he remembered, he was talking to Ludwig. But nothing else. He looked around, trying to figure out where he was. It sure looked like a prison. Whatever he was in, it was pretty cold. The walls were painted gray and cracking. The floor was rough and jagged. And the door was pure steel, reinforced with a small window near the top.

It was also pretty dark, he could only see with what light came through the door. He felt around his forehead, and his fingertips rubbed against a thick cloth. He figured it was a bandage covering some sort of wound that was inflicted on him. When he put pressure against it, pain surged through his head and he quickly removed his hand. Feliciano closed his eyes as he waited for the pain to go away. He was so lost in thought, he didn't even hear the door opening or the footsteps on the cold floor.

He didn't realize that someone was watching him, until his train of thought was derailed and he was brought back to reality. Someone shouted in his ear, "_Ciao_!" and Feliciano let out a panicked 'squeak'.

He opened his eyes, only to bring them to a pair of red ones. The man he was now facing had a big smile on his face, and waved a hand at Feliciano. Hesitantly, he waved back and forced a smile of his own. "Scusa if I frightened you. I thought you saw me." He chuckled. He stepped back and allowed Feli to see his full appearance. He wore a white jacket with a black shirt underneath it. Added to that was a light pink scarf that was similar to those worn by actors on Broadway. He also had blonde hair, with a curl similar to his own sticking out of the side, and a pair of lightly tinted sunglasses.

He opened his mouth as if he wished to speak, when suddenly the door in the hallway was thrown open and slammed against the wall. A series of boots stomped against the floor as a group of people walked towards the cell. Feliciano couldn't see past the man in front of him, and he didn't dare move from his spot.

It took him a moment to realize his hands were trembling, that he was so frightened. The man stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. Seconds later a series of yells started erupted just outside. Feliciano clumsily scooted himself into the corner of the room, tears forming at the rim of his eyes. All of this confused him, and he just wanted to go home and be as far away from this madhouse as possible.

The shouts grew loud as someone came to the door. Someone banged against the door, causing Italy to flinch. The door slowly opened, creaking as the yelling seized. Feli could hear footsteps heading in the opposite direction, which relaxed him a bit. The door continued to slide open as Feliciano wiped away tears.

He couldn't see who was trying to enter, or if anyone was for that matter. He turned his head to the side, and peered through the slowly growing doorway. The sound of steel cutting through air was heard, as a knife was flung through the door and landed next to Felciaino, just missing his head.

Feli fell to the side as the rest of his body started to tremble in fear. He shut his eyes and started shouting. "P-Please don't hurt me! I'll tell you anything you want and I won't fight you! Promise!" As he continued to cry out, the knife was roughly removed from inside the wall and twirled in the air. "Shut up idiota!" The man yelled at him.

Feli shrunk down into the wall. He didn't want to open his eyes, he didn't want to see what monstrosity might he face if he were to do so. But he had to.

Reluctantly, he opened his eyes. He didn't see some demon or single eyed beast, but what he did see scared him ever more. The man that stood before him was nearly identical to himself. He was the same height, the same accent. He even had the same curl. But when Feliciano saw his eyes, and he was struck with pure fear.

Out of all the things, this had scared him the most by far. It was the same man. The very same man that he had seen at the supermarket. The very same man that had been watching him the period of time that he was there. And now he was here. Trapped in the room with the knife wielding maniac. The man had violet colored eyes and a fez on his head, the same as before. He wore a uniform similar to his fratello, except the shade of tan was darker, almost a light brown. His hair, though the same style, was a darker shade.

Feli managed to cough up "Who- who are you?" through his trembling lips. The tears had returned and were just barely hanging onto the rim of his eyelids. A grin appeared on the man's face. He walked to Italy and kneeled down in front of him. "I'm you." He said in a devious voice. Feliciano pushed back with his leg, trying to get away from this lunatic. "Well, I'm you. With a bit of a twist." He says as he twists his wrist to add effect.

A chuckle escaped his throat as he stood up, satisfied with the fear showing on Italy's face. He started slowly walking in the other direction. "Call me Luciano, and nothing else." He suddenly turned around and swung down the knife. He stopped just at Feliciano's throat. "Unless you want to die." He raised the knife and cut a thin line across Feli's cheek. He let out a small cry and fell onto his back. The tears were let free and slid down the sides of his face. Luciano smiled at the weeping man. "How weak." He stated as he walked towards the door. He quickly signaled to someone out in the hallway.

"It's time to have some fun." He mumbled as a man, taller than him stepped inside. Feliciano couldn't get a good look at him, his vision was heavily blurred. But he could tell that he had long blonde hair, that was probably cut above his shoulders, and then pulled back into a ponytail. He wore the full royal Canadian mounted police uniform, and heavily tinted glasses. He could also see a curl similar to that of Matthew's. The man held a hockey stick in his hands, a grin on his face.

Feliciano knew what was about to happen would likely be one of the most painful events in his life. He could tell by the glimmer in their eyes. They wanted to see him hurt, to see him cry.

They wanted to see him suffer.

But he didn't understand why. Why did they want him to go through all of this? Was it just for their own personal entertainment? Their own enjoyment? Or maybe there was some logical reason behind it. Feliciano didn't remember if he really ever hurt anyone. Not that he could either way.

His thoughts were disturbed when he was suddenly struck in the chest. He let out a gasp as all of the air in his lungs were sucked out of him. He fell back onto the ground hard, but had little time to recover from the attack. Suddenly a fist connected with his forehead, hitting the bandage and pushing him into the wall. He cried out as he fell onto his side. "P-Please..." He whispered before a hockey stick struck him in the back.

He yelled as more tears streamed down his cheeks, the pain intensifying. He couldn't move, all of it was just too much for him. He just wanted to crawl away to safety and go to sleep. Escape to his dreamworld where he would never have to worry about this.

His beating continued on afterwards, it seemed like it lasted for hours. Eventually his body went numb and he stopped feeling the pain. Everything seemed to freeze around him as the blood flowed from his now re-opened wound and down his forehead. He stared at the roof, once again lost in thought.

Luciano, as he wished to be called, had left the room to grab something. Most of their conversation was muffled to the Italian. When he came back he had chains and a couple of locks in his hands. They restrained Feliciano as well as they could, before walking back in with a camera. He whimpered at the sudden flash that quickly blinded him.

Feli tried to say something, but he was too hurt to move. His upper body was completely sore, random strikes of pain appearing and then disappearing all over. He didn't want to move, he couldn't. He didn't realize that he was drifting off to sleep. That he was losing consciousness. Maybe he had a concussion. Maybe he would be able to escape this hellhole of a world, escape all the pain that he was being forced to live through.

As he watched the two leave the room, Luciano looked back at him and smiled. "Dormire bene."

* * *

Hours later, Feliciano finally woke up. He had been out for 9, maybe 10 hours. All the pain that had previously vanished, quickly returned to his body.

His legs were numb, but his chest and back were aching. His muscles were tight and his bones felt broken which, more or less, they were. The chains had been removed, leaving behind red marks on his wrist. The pain in his head had subsided, but his neck was sore from laying on such an uncomfortable surface for so long.

When Feliciano sat up it was as if every bone in his body popped back into place. The sound of them all cracking echoed against the walls. He let out a sigh of relief as a fraction of the pain disappeared. He stretched out his neck, twisting and turning in an attempt to loosen the muscles. He also shook his legs repetitively, as he tried to get blood flowing through them again.

There was a stench of death lingering in the air, seeping through the crack under the door and filling the room. Italy covered his nose at the sudden unpleasant smell. He started trembling again. What were those psychopaths doing out there? Did they kill someone else? He could hear murmuring from somewhere nearby. Murmuring followed by a psychopathic laugh. It was so loud, Feliciano could of sworn whoever was laughing was right next to him. The laugh was then followed by a loud cracking sound and someone yelling out in pain.

A shiver flowed down his spine as he suddenly tumbled over in fear. He let out a shriek but quickly covered his mouth, not wanting anyone to hear him. When the laughs and murmurs stopped altogether, Feliciano knew they had heard him.

He couldn't hear any footsteps, so with whatever energy he had regained over the period of time he had been unconscious, he stood up and tumbled towards the door. His arms launched out and his hands latched onto the window frame carved into the iron door. He peered through it, and wasn't able to see anything moving. The hallway was dark and damp. Water appeared to be dripping from the roof and dim lit lights trailed across the walls.

The door at the other end was open, but no one was there. Someone just seemed to of left it open without a care in the world. Suddenly another scream erupted and Feliciano fell into the door. He reestablished his footing and stood back up. He started shaking again, and his hands were in tight balls, his knuckles slowly turning white.

He was able to hear the sound of a blade cutting through something, most likely flesh. Feliciano started praying that all they were doing is butchering an animal of some sort, and not a person. The screams had died out and now small conversations seemed to be popping up in the other room. Feli tried to listen to in on one of them. Though he wasn't fond of eavesdropping, he was hoping that someone would say something that could help him get out.

The most obvious 'conversation' was of two thick italian accents slowly raising their voices into a loud argument. He couldn't exactly make out what they were saying, the words were barely audible, but he did manage to make out "Avrebbe potuto sfuggito idiota!" Followed by a much quieter voice saying "Ma lui sembrava così paura."

Feliciano could tell it must of been the first man he met, since he was the only one hadn't tried to kill him. Yet. Feliciano heard a grunt and then the rest of the conversation was mumbled.

Feli spun around and let himself slowly slide down the door. These people were bound to kill him, he was sure of this. If he didn't get out sooner or later, they'd end him. It was the only explanation. What else were they planning to do with him? To them he was just another victim. Another toy in their entertainment.

While lost in thought he felt the door being pushed against him. Startled, he dove out into the darkness and hid there as someone else entered the room. He shut his eyes as tight as he could, hoping that it was just a false alarm and that no one was there. Unfortunately, he was wrong.

"Ello, champ! M' name's Oliver!" Feliciano jumped up and opened his eyes to see a quite... cheery man. He had strawberry blonde hair and bushy eyebrows to match. His eyes were a sky blue, and he wore a pink vest with a blue bow tie to pull everything together. "Could I interest you in a cupcake?"

The man smiled widely as he pulled a tray of cupcakes out from behind his back. There were six, each decorated in a different way. All of them colorful, unlike this dreadful place. Feliciano was wary of what he could do, for all he knew they could be poisoned. But he couldn't remember the last time he had eaten. His stomach had growled at least twice since he had woken up and the cupcakes sure did look delicious.

Hesitantly, Feliciano reached out and grabbed a random one. He examined it. It had blue frosting all over it with pink swirls, a small edible flower on the top, and finished off with a series of randomly colored sprinkles. Without thinking, Feli quickly took a bite out of the cupcake and started to chew, hoping he hadn't made a bad decision. Oliver smiled at him, looking at the tray of cupcakes then back to Feliciano. "Well aren't you a lucky fellow."

* * *

Scusa = Sorry (Italian)

Idiota = Idiot (Italian)

Ciao = Hello (Italian)

Fratello = Brother (Italian)

Dormire bene = Sleep well (Italian)

Avrebbe potuto sfuggito idiota = He could have escaped idiot (Italian)

Ma lui sembrava così paura = But he seemed so afraid (Italian)

**A/N: It really didn't seem like this chapter was completed right after Italy was knocked out, so I decided to add. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I plan to make this story a bit more dark in the future. I hope you guys enjoyed, I'll start on the next chapter ASAP!**


	4. Chapter 4: A New Discovery

**A/N: I was just being lazy on this chapter, nothing really big behind it. And I'm sorry about it being real short, I just wanted to get this done. Ugh I really hated this chapter, I didn't even want to read it over. As of a matter of fact, I didn't. =.=**

* * *

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**A New Discovery**

After discovering Feliciano's white flag drenched in oil under his car, Ludwig had rushed back to meet with the others that were supposed to be at the world meeting. But it was very late by then, and most of the countries had gone home. All that stayed behind were Kiku, Yao, Ivan, Antonio, and Lovino who, by the way, was only there because Antonio was his ride home. And since Antionio wasn't leaving, neither was he.

When Ludwig and the others got settled in, he showed them all the evidence they had come across, and then everyone started adding to it. It was obvious this was a kidnapping, and that the man that delivered the letter and picture had something to do with it. Yao and Ivan were stuck researching on the computer, trying to find any information on the red-headed freak that they could come up with.

Really anything from a simple picture to a police report would help. They were basing everything they searched off of the concept sketch Kiku had drawn. Once Ludwig settled down after the shock, Kiku had drawn a quick sketch of the culprit. It wasn't extremely detailed, but it worked as far as they cared.

Kiku was also trying to decrypt the letter, the letters made no sense and it was fairly obvious that they were meant to be unscrambled. So far, he knew that the second word had to be 'Palace" since the letters didn't appear to create any other combination that could be plausible in this situation. But that wasn't a lot to work off of, since there were lots of places that had "Palace" in the name and they couldn't exactly go to each and every one of them and break down the doors, screaming for Feliciano and beating up anyone that got in their way.

Things just don't work like that, and if they ended up getting caught then that would put their investigation to a huge stand-still. Antonio was analyzing the letter and picture, trying to find anything that may be hidden inside of it. As for Lovino, well he was just 'relaxing'. It's not that he didn't _want _to find his brother, it's just that all of the roles seemed to have been taken up.

Ludwig sighed as Yao and Ivan murmured to each other over at the computer, and Kiku quietly sat next to him, writing something down and trying to solve the confusing puzzle.

He could feel Lovino's eyes burning holes into the back of his head. Ludwig didn't understand why the Italian hated him so much. He hadn't done anything to him as far as he could tell, aside from befriend his brother. They were barely introduced to each other before the he had lashed out at him. It wasn't as insulting as it was embarrassing, but he mentioned none of it to the younger Italian.

Suddenly everything went quiet, sending a chill down Ludwig's spin. The silence quickly became awkward, Yao and Ivan were reading an article, Antonio was scanning the picture of any notes in the background, Lovino had his head in his hands, and Kiku had stopped tapping his pencil against the table. Ludwig wasn't sure whether or not he should say anything, maybe everyone was deep in thought and if he were to disturb them they would get mad? With all the pressure everyone was under, the last thing he wanted to do was upset them.

But he didn't need to make a decision, since a certain someone broke the silence for him. "Aiyah! We found something!" Yao yelled from across the room. Just about everybody jumped from their chairs. Ludwig slid his back roughly and walked over to their seats. He peaked over Ivan's shoulder and looked down at the screen.

What he saw couldn't of made him happier.

On the screen was a fairly clear picture of a man that perfectly resembled the Alfred look-alike. It almost seemed like a mugshot.

"Great! This is perfect!" Ludwig happily exclaimed, almost out of character. Everyone huddled up behind him to see whatever he was excited about. There was a picture just above a small group of paragraphs. No one had read it yet, but that's what they were planning to do. But what confused Ludwig, what confused everyone was that this man, whomever he was, looked exactly like Alfred.

Just as Ludwig had described, he had the same appearance, aside from his drastic color change. His skin was tan, his hair was a dark brown, eyes red, and a pair of dark shades. Of course those were just the basic details, there was much more that was different about this man but Ludwig didn't want to waste any time describing the obvious to himself. Antonio clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.

"Buen trabajo, Ludwig call Arthur. I'm sure he has something to do with this. And while you're at it, get Alfred too. Who knows, he might know a thing or two as well. Yao and Ivan, keep doing what you're doing. Find anything else you can on this guy. Kiku, do whatever you were doing beforehand. Lovi, you're with me!"

Everyone departed to do whatever they were told. The Spaniard smiled at his Italian friend, who had a pissed off expression on his face, as if that was new. Lovino waltzed over to Antonio and his hands turned to fists. "I told you not to call me that Tomato-Bastard!" Antonio just laughed and patted his friend on the back, then lead him over to their original seats to continue working.

Ludwig pulled out his makeshift cell phone and looked through his contacts in an attempt to find their numbers. It took him a couple of minutes before he realized that he didn't know the Brit's and he had deleted the American's a long while back. He didn't really know who to ask, since he didn't know if anyone was actually friends with the two, at least out of the people in the room. Then he remembered that Kiku was there, and that him and America had been friends for a good bit of time and he remembered that Arthur had visited him before.

Swallowing his pride, Ludwig went over and asked for the two phone numbers. "Of course Ludwig-san. Let me just find them." He pulled out his phone and pulled up the two contact numbers. Thanking him, Ludwig quickly dialed the first number, ignoring the fact it was two in the morning.

_One ring... _

_Two rings... _

_Thre-_

The line picked up and he heard a tired voice on the other end. "Uhm... hello?" A thick british accent was heard on the other side. "Guten Morgen Arthur." Ludwig scratched the back of his head, unsure of how to continue. "Um, sorry to bother you and all but we found something important and really need you to come down and take a look."

"You do realize what time it is?"

"Yes... but we believe you might know something about all of this."

A sigh was heard. "Of course you do... Anyway, if you insist I'll will be there soon." Ludwig quickly thanked him before hanging up and then dialing the next number. He figured it wouldn't be too hard to convince the American to show up. He was always rambling about being a hero and all anyway.

The phone picked up halfway through the first ring and an energetic voice was heard on the other end of the line. "Hey! What's going on? Did you guys find anything? Did you figure something out? Do you know what that letter is supposed to say?" Ludwig had to wait a moment before the questions stopped flowing and he was finally able to talk. "Yes we found something, and it's fairly... interesting. We need you to come and help us out. Do you mind-"

"Of course not! I'm the hero!

Ludwig sighed, of course he would say that. "Well please arrive soon, it's urgent."

"Got it!"

* * *

Buen trabajo = Good Work (Spanish)

Guten Morgen = Good Morning (German)


	5. Chapter 5: Two-P Theory

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**Two-P Theory**

Ludwig silently sat in the room, waiting for Alfred and Arthur to show up. He found himself tapping his foot on the ground, trying to entertain himself in anyway he could. He had been sitting there for what, ten minutes now? And he was slowly growing impatient. He didn't like waiting, especially under these circumstances. He wanted to find Feliciano as soon as he could. That was his goal, his mind set. And these two taking their sweet time was getting in the way of that.

Suddenly the sound of men shouting was heard in the hallway. He sighed, looks like they finally arrived. The two doors opened up in sync, revealing Arthur and Alfred who were in a heated argument about god knows what. Everyone looked in their direction, hoping that they would notice and stop yelling.

But they didn't, and the bickering seized only when they stood in front of Ludwig. He sighed and stood up, motioning the two towards Yao and Ivan, who had just finished reading the small but presumably confusing article. They both read over it, Arthur's face seemed to change with every word. He stood up straight and rubbed his eyes, sighing.

Everyone gave him questioning looks and Arthur shook his head. "Give me a moment, I have something you all need to see." He walked out from the room and everyone sat there, waiting. Alfred seemed to read the file over and over again, then looking at the picture and picking every small detail out of. Just like the rest of them, he didn't understand.

Arthur walked back in, pulling a shoulder book bag at his side. He pulled it up and placed it on the table before opening the flap and pulling out a thick book. It was titled "Research Journal" and had a bookmark sticking out from the top. He opened the book up where the bookmark lay and it revealed many pictures with captions every here and there on both pages. He placed the book flat on the desk and everyone surrounded him.

The pictures resembled detailed portraits of the sun and it's whereabouts. It still didn't explain why he wanted to show it, and by the confused looks he was getting, he could tell. Arthur cleared his throat and everyone returned their gazes to him. "Let me explain." He shuffled past everyone and sat down in his chair, the book in his lap. Everyone took their seats near him, listening to his story. "A while ago I had an idea to create an artificial sun. With all of the mentions of Global Warming and Pollution, I figured we would need an alternative power source. I decided a smaller and safer version of the sun would be best. If we could create a smaller sun that was closer to Earth but almost as powerful as the original, then we could increase solar power by... a lot. Then if most if not all things were solar powered then we wouldn't need to use as much coal and oil." Everyone nodded, thinking that the idea was something worth trying.

"Of course I didn't have all the kinks worked out but I wanted to test the idea. So, using a few spells and whatnot, I tried to... create one. But, as it may seem, it didn't work. Instead I found myself messing with the laws of space and time. As a result, I managed to... _cut_ into another universe. Specifically a _two-P_ universe." Confused looks sprawled on everyone's faces again. They'd never heard of a two-P before, and Arthur wasn't surprised. "Let me continue..." Everyone looked at him again. Once he knew he had everyone's attention he started again.

"As I said, I managed to break into another universe. I wasn't able to enter it, I didn't want to. Far too dangerous to chance it. But I could see into it at the least. I'm not sure if they could see me, either they could or they already knew about us. But anyway... back to the story. So two-Ps, as I've decided to call them, are... well, _us_. They are our opposites. As I've come to know them, they look similar to us, but are very much different. Personality and attitude wise. But they are part of us." Once again confused looks appeared, and honestly, Arthur was growing tired of it. But he raised an eyebrow when Kiku and Yao seemed a bit nervous at the topic.

He shrugged it off, figuring it that the idea in general was just... scaring them. Ludwig spoke up. "So you mean, the man I saw... was Alfred's two-P?" Arthur nodded.

"It seems that somehow they were able to get into _our_ world. I don't know how yet, that'll be something I'll look into. But for now we need to focus on Feliciano."

"Arthur-san... do you think that Feliciano-kun's two-P will... kill him?" Japan was holding his hand, most likely to stop it from uncontrollably shaking as he spoke.

"No I don't. I managed to come up with a conclusion that I think will explain everything to you."

Arthur opened up his journal and flipped through the many pages. Finally coming to the correct one after a couple of moments, he cleared his throat and with his best 'reading voice' he read it out loud.

"_If a one-P and their two-P are to cross paths, they are more than welcome to duel. If the one-P is defeated by the two-P, they will be removed from that realm and placed in another. If a two-P is defeated by the one-P, they will return to their home dimension. No one-P nor two-P can kill the other. Only countries can kill countries, fact. A one-P and a two-P are different faces for the same body. If either are killed, they will both die._"

He closed the book up again as if he had just finished reading a child a bedtime story and looked to see the others reactions. A couple of sighs of relief escaped, knowing that at least one person wouldn't be able to put their paws on Feliciano. But that didn't stop the fact that a ton of others would be able to.

"So... in order to get rid of them, we have to fight them aru?" Yao asked, nervousness faintly noted in his tone. He wasn't worried about his well being, specifically his brother's. He couldn't fight Kuro without risking a chance of killing Kiku. Kiku would _have to_ win. This is something he wasn't sure if he was capable of. Yes, before when he was much younger and a samurai he would of been able to easily match Kuro's strength. But now he was much older, and wasn't necessarily focused on combat as he once was. Unlike Kuro, who had sought revenge ever since their last fight.

Arthur shook his head. "I'm not sure yet. Obviously this is just what I've managed to come up with. It's a theory and I haven't really been able to prove it yet." Yao and Kiku both knew it was true, but they didn't speak up. They didn't want to mention anything to their friends, even in this situation. "But I think we might be able to get rid of them another way. It's just an idea... but It might just work. You see, I think that if we can find this force that managed to take them from their universe to ours, it just might be able to send them right back where they came from. The only problem is, I don't know who or what brought them here."

Everyone nodded, liking this idea a bit more than the first. The picture of two-P Alfred showed that whoever he was, he was mean and fierce. Probably ready to rip anyone's head off too. And he was just one example of what the two-Ps were capable of.

Everyone divided once again back to their workstations, this time with a bit of help from Arthur and Alfred. Arthur and Kiku went over possible ways to track down and conceal the force that brought their two-Ps to their world. Alfred started searching the internet for any more information they could find. Not knowing any names was a bit of a problem for all of them.

Loudly, stomachs rumbled around the room, causing everyone to shift their gaze towards the single clock hanging above the wall. It was six. Somehow, between the time that they were waiting from the two to show up and now, they had lost complete track of time. They even failed to notice the sun peaking it's way through the windows just barely. Ludwig couldn't remember the last time he had eaten.

Ever since this whole case started he'd been too busy worrying about Feliciano than his own well being. Alfred stood from his chair and caught everyone's attention. "Whatta you say we go and catch something to eat? Come on!" He ran out the door before anyone could reply, and Arthur started mumbling about how he butchered the Queen's English. Everyone started leaving, all except for Kiku. When questioned he simply declined. "No thank you, I think it's better that I stay behind and work a bit more. I'll eat later, don't worry about me." Yao sighed, patting his brother on the back before following the others out.

He looked over his shoulder before leaving. His gaze met his brothers and they both knew what was coming. Unlike the others, they had already known about the two-P universe. They had learned lots of it from Kuro, who was once in an unbalanced friendship with Kiku. Yao never liked him, who could blame him? Kuro was nothing but trouble. He always wanted to go to war and whatnot. When he wasn't able to, he started committing violent acts. Acts that tore the short-lived friendship between them apart. Acts that forced the two great nations to take drastic measures in order to keep everyone safe. Acts that caused tensions between their people. Acts that almost took their lives.


	6. Chapter 6: My Dark Side

**CHAPTER SIX**

**My Dark Side**

Not long after Feliciano had taken the first bite out of the cupcake, he had slipped into unconsciousness. Oliver laughed as he fell onto his side, fast asleep.

It was true, he was _lucky_.

He had managed to pick out of the six, the only non-poisonous one. It had, of course, a bit of sleeping powder inside of it, but no rat poison or anything similar to that. He stood up and left the room without looking back. He would tell the others later of his doings, unless they were to figure out on their own. Oliver skipped into their "meeting room" where most were sitting around a table.

Axis on one side, Allies on the other, just like always. The table was extremely long, long enough so that the two groups couldn't reach each other without a couple of good strides. It was the only way they could keep them apart so they wouldn't try to kill each other.

Oliver slipped into the seat next to his American 'friend' and waited patiently for their meeting to start. The day's topic was simple, "How can we keep running our counterparts in circles?" They wanted to play this game for as long as they could, since they were unsure of how long they would manage to stay in this dimension. Some weird mystical binding crap had brought them there in the first place, and they were sure it could bring them back just the same.

And if not then they would have plenty of people to torment, a side from each other.

Silence filled the air as the two teams stared each other down. The axis leader, Luciano, was leaning back in his chair, feet on the table. He wasn't very interested in the meeting, not like he ever was. He would much rather be elsewhere than discussing a topic he considered unimportant. Next to him was Kaspar, who sat high in his chairs, arms crossed and back straight with his eyes looking ahead, poking out from under the shadow of his hat. Kuro was motionless, his left hand resting on the handle of his katana. He was eying his brother whom was sitting across from the table, doing the same. Lanzo slouched in his seat, not making eye contact with anyone but taking interest in the cut up section of the table. Leonardo sat with his chin in his hands, staring boredly at the rooftop without a care in the world. Sebastian appeared to be doing just the same, not wanting to getting into another stare down with the opposing countries.

On the other half of the table sat an overly excited Englishman who was jittering around in his chair. Allan sat with a smug look on his face, trying to intimidate the others as best he could. He wasn't planning to leave this meeting without getting into a fight. Next to him sat his brother, Andrew, who was annoyed with the fact that he had came to yet another meeting. Usually nothing got done at these, and in the end someone would almost always get hurt, no matter the circumstances. To his right was Jian, and of course, he was staring down his brother from across the table, sibling rivalry. At the other end of the seats, Viktor was located. The same tired expression was plastered on his face. Once again he had neglected getting a decent amount of sleep and was just as exhausted as always. And lastly was Jean, who was smoking his cigar as usual and had an immense poker face.

The silence was broken when Luciano cleared his throat and sat up, placing all four legs of the chair back on the concrete with a _thud_. He looked across the table at Allan and then started to speak. "As we all know, our counterparts are looking for their little sad excuse for a country. With the clues we left them they are bound to figure something out. We need to make sure they don't, by any means necessary. Even if it means hurting a couple of them nel processo."

A couple of countries in the crowd started smiling, specifically those that hold some sort of a grudge against their opposites. He stood up from his seat before continuing. "So, that means we need to make sure whatever they know we destroy. Anything they've written down about us, bruciamo. Any computers they have with information about us on, distruggere. Anything about us we have to get rid of a soon as possible. Capito_?" _

Everyone nodded in agreement and Luciano motioned for his companions to get out of their seats, which they all did in sync. He started walking in the other direction when he stopped and turned around. "Also, if anyone sees you... far loro del male." He smiled and then left, the others following close behind. Jian sighed and stood up from his seat. "Time to get to work." He mumbled before leaving the room, Viktor following him out.

Oliver was humming happily to himself, which irritated Allan even more than before. "Will you shut up already! How am I supposed to think with you being all annoying?!" Andrew scooted his chair back and stood up. "It's pretty obvious you don't know _how _to think." He left the room, eventually Jean did as well since he didn't want to have to listen to Allan have another temper tantrum. That left the two in the same room, arguing a bit too loud for enjoyment.

The others had already gone outside to meet for a separate meeting. Having decided that Allan, Oliver and Kaspar would stay behind to watch the prisoner, while the rest would head out to do as they had been instructed.

Teams had been assigned by Lanzo since he seemed to be the only one that didn't care who was with who. There were three teams of three. The first one consisted of Andrew, Kuro, and Luciano. The next one had Leonardo, Sebastian, and Jean. The last one having Lanzo, Jian, and Viktor. Each team was designated a specific area of town. The first team received the World Meeting building as well as the surrounding area, the next was given half of the homes where the countries supposedly lived (But most likely wouldn't be) and the final group got the last bit of homes.

Last minute thoughts were shared before the groups departed.

* * *

Andrew's group arrived quickly after to their destination. They sat in the bushes, complete silence sweeping over them. No one was sure if there was anyone actually in the building. There had been the previous day, according to Allan at the least, so they had to be careful. It was around lunch time so Andrew had a hunch that if anyone was inside, they'd be leaving sooner or later.

They sat there for an extra ten minutes before deciding enough was enough. They stepped out of the bushes and began heading down the hill they had been located on. Unexpectedly, the double doors to the building flew open and people start piling out. Panicked, the three jumped behind any object they could find.

Yes, maybe they wouldn't recognize Andrew right off the bat, but Kuro was nearly a dead give away. They had to be as careful as possible. Luciano silently counted the people leaving the building. Once the opposites were out of sight the team regrouped. "I counted seven leaving." He noted, not wasting anytime. Kuro nodded. "They'll likely return soon though." He added "To get back to their 'investigation'. We must hurry."

The others agreed and they rushed across the street, nearly getting hit by an ice cream truck along the way. When they finally reached the staircase they were careful to make sure no one was coming out of the building or towards it before entering.

The hallways were silent but brightly lit. It disgusted Luciano in a way. They peeked their heads inside of rooms to see if it was anything important. Most were just empty offices or rooms in general. A couple were bathrooms. When they finally got to a room that was bigger than all the rest Luciano peeked inside. He quickly slide his head back out and stumbled a bit.

He took a good five steps back before signaling for the other's to come closer.

"There's someone in there. He's pretty ugly, so I'm sure it's Kuro's onie." He smirked at his own remark, which only made Kuro twitch. If he were to outburst it would surely blow their cover. Calming down, Kuro spoke up. "Let me take care of him. He definitely won't be much of a problem. When the fight starts, ransack the place." They both nodded and smirked. It was about time they saw a fight between two countries, and it was literally Kuro versus himself. It was bound to be entertaining.

Kuro stepped in front of the group and lead them over to the door. He took a deep breath before throwing them open. The doors bashed against the walls, startling Kiku and making him fall from his seat. When he stood up, expecting to see the others returning, his face nearly turned white at the sight.

"So... You've returned." He mumbled. Kuro slowly nodded, the others a bit confused. "I told you I would." Kuro smiled as he stepped forward, letting the others get inside. "I was expecting you." Kiku added as he closed his eyes and placed his hand on the handle of his katana. He was nervous, you just couldn't tell. The last time he had fought himself he had lost, in a way. Yes, Kuro was banished elsewhere. But he had the scars to remember him of the day that he was scared would come again. And unfortunately, it did.

Kuro pointed his head to the right, Luciano and Andrew following his lead. They moved their way over to a stack of papers. With the limited amount of time they had, they didn't care whatever was written on them. They just had to be destroyed.

Kuro's hand found the handle of his blade and rested it there. The two waited for one to make a move. Kiku had pushed the blade out of the sheathe ever so slightly so he would be able to quickly react if Kuro decided to be unfair which, knowing him, he would be. The only thing that could be heard was the tearing of paper and someone trying to turn on a lighter. Sighing, Kiku decided if he wasn't going to stop them now, then they would destroy almost everything they worked for. He had to stop them, even if it meant he would be hurt in the process.

Jumping forwards from his spot, he released the blade from it's cover and raised it over his head. Almost as if he was expecting it ahead of time, Kuro slipped his katana out of his sheath as well and raised it up horizontally. He blocked the attack rather efficiently, before countering quickly with a swipe to the knees. Kiku jumped back, landing gracefully on his feet before getting into a defensive stance. Kuro lazily swung his sword around with his left hand while slowly stepping forwards.

A thin line of sweat dropped from the rim of Kiku's hairline and down the side of his face. He was in no condition to fight, at least at the moment. He hadn't eaten since the night before, and he had decided to not join the others for lunch. Right now his worst enemy tied between his stomach and his two-P.

Kuro didn't waste much time walking towards his _victim_. He wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible. Unlike most of the others, he had come to this dimension more than once. He remembered back in the dark days, him and Kiku would fight often. Eventually it got to the point where one day he would be in control, and the next the tables would turn. Whenever he was in charge he would do as much damage as possible. This could be anything from committing a crime, hurting a relative, all the way to blood and murder.

The only one that had actually known the truth behind the random bi-polar events was Kiku's brother, Yao. In fact Kuro had been the one to betray Yao in the first place. He was the one that laced the scar across his back. After Kiku won the power struggle and Kuro was banished, the brothers refused to talk about the topic to anybody. Especially their friends.

As Luciano and Andrew burned the remaining papers and scattered the ashes on the floor, they listened to the rapid clashing of steel in the background. It drew a smile to Luciano's face, knowing that for once Kuro was actually taking charge of the situation. But it still made him very curious after listening to the two's share of words earlier. What had he meant by '_You've returned'_? The question kept buzzing through his head. He obviously couldn't say the same for the Canadian to his left. He had a plain out poker face and wasn't showing much emotion towards the whole fight.

Andrew dug through the many cabinets and drawers that were mostly empty. Any paper he found he handed to Luciano to get rid off. Eventually, after looking for a good bit he found a laptop, hidden in the back behind a couple of barren boxes.

He pulled it out and waved it around with one hand. "Look what I found." He smiled and Luciano nodded, already knowing his intentions. Andrew placed the laptop at his feet and then took a few steps back. Then he took his hockey stick, which he had been carrying most of the way there, and raised it behind his head. Acting as if the laptop was a puck of some sort, he swung down and the stick connected with the side of the computer.

It made a loud cracking sound as bits and pieces fell off of the side and the screen cracked. He continued to beat the laptop until he was sure that it wouldn't work, even if they tried. Just to make sure, he removed the ROM and smashed that separately. When it was just chunks of wasted electronics he shuffled it under the cabinet with the side of his boot. Then he took the laptop it's self and chucked it at the window with all his might.

It flew right through the glass and hit something outside. Most likely the tree that everyone loved so much.

Meanwhile, Kuro and Kiku were in a heated battle. Neither of them had struck an actual hit, but it was obvious Kiku was becoming tired. He seemed to shuffle rather than walk across the ground every so often, which Kuro took note on. It had been so long since they actually dueled and he wanted to make sure he won this time. The last time he had lost he was extremely frustrated with himself and, as a result, refused to talk to the others for a long time. But now was his chance to fully redeem himself. To be able to put this _fool_ into his rightful place. He longed for such a chance, and now he was finally given it.

Kuro continued on his violent assault, forcing Kiku to the defensive. Whenever he tried to strike, Kuro would evade and fight back. If Kiku tried to attack full on, he would risk getting hit himself. He had to wait for the right moment, one when Kuro isn't paying as much attention. And if anything, he had to stall this fight until the others returned.

Suddenly Kiku saw an opening. Kuro had swung diagonally downwards to his left, leaving the entire right side of his body open for a split second. Taking the risk altogether, he stabbed out at him. Time seemed to slow down as his blade contacted with his arm, and Kuro jumped back. A thin cut formed a few inches above his elbow, tearing the cloth as the blade passed through.

Kuro hissed in pain and stepped back, holding his wound. Precious fluids seeped out, breaking apart and causing thin lines to flow down his arm and onto his hand. The red liquid covered his palm as he removed it to inspect his wound. _It's now or never_ he thought _If I don't finish this now I won't have enough time to do it later!_

He gripped his katana firmly, trying his best to ignore the growing pain in his arm. Kiku stood back, taking the time he was given to catch his breath. Kuro took this to his advantage. Launching forward and catching Kiku off guard, he slashed downwards. As a result, Kiku jumped back again, as he had done previously, to dodge. But unlike before, his energy was now depleting. _He was weak._

Before he had landed just fine, but this time he returned to the ground less than gracefully and lost his footing. He fell onto his back with a loud thud. "I'm getting too old for this." He mumbled before rolling to the side to avoid a clear shot for the head. He stumbled to his feet but found himself letting his guard down. The hilt of his enemy's weapon crushed into the side of his cheek.

His grip on the katana loosened and fell to the ground. Kuro didn't give him any time to recover, instead he landed a sidekick square in Kiku's stomach. The Japanese man fell back once more, landing on the cold floor with little to none will left in him to fight. He turned his head to the right and reached for his katana, laying a couple feet away. Kuro kicked it out of his reach before stepping on his hand. Kiku winced in pain, trying to move his hand out from under the shoe.

Kuro couldn't help but smile. It pleased him to see someone like Kiku fighting so desperately for their life, but the hope inside of them slowly fading away. He reached out and grabbed his collar, lifting him onto his feet and raising him to his face. He pushed him against the wall hard, his head banging against the wood. _Dammit, I lost again_ Kiku thought to himself. The katana was then raised up to his neck. Kuro pulled it back, preparing to jab it deep inside the flesh, when suddenly-

The door flew open.

The group from before walked into the room, a look of deep confusion on their face. When the Brit happened to look in his direction, his eyes went wide. Andrew and Luciano, after completely decking the place, had been watching from the sidelines of a table. He also didn't find it very nice that Kiku was about to be slayed by what looked to be _himself_. Arthur pointed in their general direction. "Get them! They're two-Ps!" He yelled. The others, who were either too shocked at the mess or too lost, hadn't spotted them yet. When they did they started running over to them.

Kuro grinded his teeth and looked over at Kiku. "You got lucky this time Orokana rōjin!" He threw Kiku onto his knees and then slapped him with his free hand. Kiku let out a small whimper and watched at the trio jumped out of the nearby window that had been earlier smashed thanks to someone not exactly liking a certain laptop.

* * *

Nel processo = In the Process (Italian)

Bruciamo = Burn (Italian)

Distruggere = Smash (Italian)

Capito = Understand (Italian)

Far loro del male = Hurt Them (Italian)

Orokana rōjin = Stupid Old Man (Japanese)

**A/N: I ****REALLY**** loved writing this chapter, and in my opinion, it really recovered from the previous one. I wanted to mainly make this chapter about Andrew, but in the end I wanted a fight scene between Japan and Kuro too. So I chose the fight scene, which I also enjoyed writing. First fight scene I've actually done as a matter of fact. Writing wise at least. I hope you guys like it! If you didn't notice or didn't know about it, I finally decided to put in the human names for the two-Ps. I had been debating about it previously but finally decided to do it, since I liked a couple of them specifically and wanted to incorporate them into the story.**


	7. Chapter 7: Iron Cross

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

**Iron Cross**

Team two, also known as the Spaniard, the annoying Italian, and that French guy, were heading down the street to their destination. They weren't visiting all of the houses, it seemed as if most were home so early in the day, and they could only got to a couple. And by this they meant they could only go to their one-P's more no less. A lot of people thought that was a stupid idea but they wouldn't question it. They didn't want to get into another fight. Obviously this meant that a large majority of the houses wouldn't even be touched. This also bothered a couple of people, but even fewer than the first.

Sebastian lead the group down the sidewalk. He was taking directions from Leonardo, a decision he slightly regretted. Not wanting to read the map and look around repeatedly to find the streets they had to go to in order to find their way around, he handed the responsibility of directions to his _friend_. And all it really ended up doing was giving him a reason to speak to Sebastian.

Jean was following farther behind, smoking as usual and looking around without a single fuck to give. A couple of parents gave him dirty looks, considering that he wasn't exactly 'well groomed'. He ignored them, he was used to it anyway. The two in front of him weren't getting much done either. Bickering like always. Leonardo would tease him, Sebastian would insult him, Leonardo would laugh, Sebastian would curse. So on and so forth. It was just as boring as every world meeting he'd ever gone to.

Unless blood spilled it was all a waste of his time. And now, here he was. Being lead by these two buffoons. They were Axis, he was an Ally. Putting the two together was never a good idea. The only reason they hadn't tried to cut each other's throats out was probably because of the mission they had ahead of them. If they weren't to accomplish it, then they would be unable to continue with their game.

He had to admit, it was fairly enjoyable. Tormenting people was his specialty. He loved doing it, but his near expressionless face didn't really hint to it.

Finally they managed to arrive at the first house in one piece. All of the houses happened to be conveniently placed on a single block. He wouldn't be surprised if they ran into the other group, since the Albino's place was on this lane too.

First was the Italian's house. After beating Feliciano senseless they checked his pockets and whatnot for anything that they hadn't found in the car. The only thing they got was his house keys and some coins. Even though they would much prefer to break the door down, the keys would be much less suspicious. Leonardo who, for some dumb reason, was left in charge of keeping the keys fumbled to open the door. Once inside they started destroying the place.

Thankfully the brother of their victim wasn't home, so they didn't have much to worry about. If anything a couple of neighbors would hear them but nothing too dangerous. If they came a bit too close then they wouldn't live to see the light of day again.

They didn't find much in the house, not a big surprise to Jean. He can't say the same for his companions though. They seemed a bit... too shocked. In fact they actually ransacked the house a second time. Tables that were already flipped over were smashed, bookshelves were thrown over, books were burned. The place was totaled, just as they had planned. They even broke a couple of faucets... just for good measures.

The next two houses were just the same. No big surprise, just a huge ass mess. I guess you could say they were leaving a bit of a present for their one-Ps. Sebastian sighed, obviously annoyed. "That was a waste of time." He rubbed his head and walked out the door. The other two followed behind him, also annoyed. "We could of been back at the base tormenting little Feliciano." Leonardo said with a smile. Jean nodded and they kept walking, bored as ever.

But they didn't get far before seeing a couple of familiar faces. "Eh? Is that Luciano?" Sebastian asked, pointing out into the distance. The three looked off at the horizon. It was still early and cold, the sun rising slowly.

The trio who had fled the fight scene were now running blindly ahead. They had been followed by a couple of one-Ps. Normally they would of turned around and fight but if others decided to join they were bound to be out numbered. And to add to that, Kuro was slightly wounded. Not to mention the fact that when they jumped out the window they landed in glass shards.

A couple managed to launch themselves into Kuro's feet, having the thinnest shoes out of the three. The others either avoided the shards completely or had nearly impenetrable boots. Kuro was basically running on his toes, just trying to avoid hurting himself anymore than he needed to. Not that he cared much, he actually enjoyed inflicting pain on himself in general. It made him feel stronger and like he could endure going through immense amounts of torment without being phased.

But being stabbed in the foot by tens of hundreds of shards of glass while you're trying to run away from your enemies isn't the best idea. Leonardo started waving his arms around like the lunatic he was, drawing the other's attention as well as a few unwanted stares from strangers.

Luciano facepalmed at his brother's stupidity. Despite this his brother continued to flail his arms and yell "_Fratello fratello_!" over and over again. When they were close enough Luciano finally snapped at him. "Shut up _idiota_! I'm standing right here!" He yelled at his brother who only smiled and hugged him.

Kuro sat down and started picking glass out of his feet. Jean walked over to Andrew and threw his cigarette to the side. "Did you guys have any luck?" He asked. Andrew smiled. "Definitely. We wrecked the place. Anything that they had in there is long gone. I even smashed their laptop personally. Kuro got to fight his old man too." Jean smiled. Fights between a one-P and a two-P always sounded interesting. He never got to see one though, this was the first time they'd be in this dimension anyway.

"How 'bout you guys?" Jean shook his head. "C'était une perte de temps." Andrew nodded and looked back over to see if Kuro was handling himself well. He managed to pull the shards out and ripped the ends of his cape to wrap his feet. "Jigoku o kuso..." he mumbled before replacing his shoes and walking back over to the group.

Luciano finished yelling at his brother and walked back over to the others, Leonardo following close behind. Sebastian sighed. "So, what now? Do we just return to base and pretend like nothing happened?" The others shrugged. No one really cared what they did next, no one knew what the plan was. So Luciano jumped in to 'save the day'. "Let's go an look for the other group. If we can join up with them and get a report on how things are going, we can head back to our casa sicura_."_

* * *

Not too far down the block, Lanzo was wandering about. Having grown tired of hearing both Jian and Viktor rant about a certain Japanese man, he silently said a quick goodbye then rushed off towards another direction. He didn't like being out in public. It gave everyone a chance to see the scars that ran across his face.

Oh how he hated having to look into a broken mirror every morning and see the four cuts that brought back dreadful memories. Each one resembling something of minor importance to others, but lots of importance to himself. All of them had their own story. To hide the shame and suffering from the outside world, he found himself hiding within his bedroom in the safety of the shadows. Otherwise he would wear a hood of some sort to cover his face. This was one of those times. But it being so early in the morning, he doubted anyone would really notice.

So he walked down the sidewalk, a few people passing him by but having no interest in him. He was somewhat thankful for it, being nervous enough as is with this whole plan anyway. He just hoped and prayed he wouldn't run into himself. Then he would have to explain just about everything.

He wasn't sure what to expect from his counterpart. How he'd look or act. He hadn't even seen Feliciano before, so he didn't really grasp the whole concept of one-P and two-P. Of course he had heard the occasional stories that were shared amongst the Axis whenever they had nothing better to do. Really they were just myths if anything, trying to figure out what their counterparts would be like.

This of course was when they first entered their dimension, and Kuro said he spotted someone that looked familiar to himself. Luciano was almost immediately interested and, as a result, he went hunting for this person. Instead he ended up finding his one-P and, as a result, decided to hatch a plan on the spot to capture this person. Which ended up creating this whole mess. And was also the reason why he was walking to the German's house to find anything that could be of use.

Which would likely end in disaster, as always.

Lanzo sighed. He was rambling to himself again. And he had no time to, as he was now two houses down from his destination. He slowed his pace as he grew closer and closer. He gulped as he went up the two steps placed before the doorway. He was tempted to knock, just for the heck of it of course. But instead he grabbed the doorknob and turned it. He raised an eyebrow when it actually turned and the door slowly slide open.

The inside was quiet as far as he could tell. He slowly crept inside, slowly and silently closing the door behind him without making a single peep.

He tiptoed into the house, finding himself in the kitchen. The light above the stove was on, but it was fairly dim and only allowed him to see better. Still moving, he could hear something going on in the other room. Sounded like a TV. Looking through the small window that divided the kitchen itself from the breakfast bar, Lanzo was able to just barely see the screen of the television that had been left on. Soccer. The announcers were speaking in loud, booming voices and people were cheering, just as energetic about the game as the players appeared to be.

He began to lean forward, trying to peer farther into the room to see if anyone was home. But that room was darker than the kitchen, so it was nearly impossible. Not thinking things through and leaning ahead even more, his elbow knocked into a salt shaker which fell onto it's side with a loud thunk against the granite countertop. He jumped back and hit his head on a cabinet as well. Biting his tongue to stop a scream was escaping, he gripped the back of his head and leaned against the counter.

"Eh? West, you back already?" Lanzo's eyes widened and he started to panic. Forgetting to be stealthy and whatnot, he rushed over towards the door. Just before he managed to get there, the kitchen light flicked on and nearly blinded him. It was probably the brightest light he's ever seen. Stunned for a moment, Gilbert saw the shadowy figure and immediately saw him as a threat.

"Huh? Ein Räuber!" He blurted out, ignoring the fact that he had almost immediately switched from English to German. Springing to attack, Gilbert grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up, throwing him back into the hard fridge that was mainly used for the storage of alcoholic beverages and wurst.

Lanzo was shaking from nervousness. He hasn't fought anyone since his dissolution, which was a very long time ago. "Who are you?!" His voice was obviously full of anger. Lanzo wasn't sure what to say. Tell the truth or come up with some lie, it seemed that either way he was screwed.

With one hand around his neck and another placed on the granite counter top, Gilbert pulled Lanzo around so his back was against the breakfast bar. Leaning back farther and farther, if he were to keep this act up the other would surely fall unconscious. The hood that Lanzo had entrusted to prevent his identity from being known fell back and revealed his face.

Gilbert raised an eyebrow and loosened his surprisingly tight grip. Being_ The Awesome Prussia_ he sure as hell knew how he looked. And this guy really looked like him. Lanzo fell to the ground at Gilbert's feet, gasping for air and trying to retain his composure.

"I'll ask it again," Gilbert continued, causing Lanzo to look up the Albino once again, but then looked away. "Who are you?" There was a moment of pause between the two. Lanzo had obviously lost this war, and needed to spill his guts or else his counterpart was bound to.

"L-Lanzo." He locked eyes with Gilbert. "Lanzo Beilschmidt."

Another awkward pause noted as the two stared each other down. Gilbert finally let out a sigh and stepped back to allow his counterpart the much needed room to stand up. Lanzo obliged hesitantly, rising to his feet slowly and regaining his balance at the same rate. Gilbert motioned for the other to follow him into the dining room. Lanzo followed, looking over his shoulder at the door before continuing.

Once he got there, Gilbert spun around a chair and sat down in it, the part of which he was supposed to use to support his back was now being used to rest his chin. Lanzo sat just across from him in a similar looking chair.

Once again the two locked eyes, but for not as long since Lanzo found himself looking at the floor. Gilbert decided to break the silence. "So, does this mean you're my two-P?" Lanzo looked up, a bit shocked at the straight-to-the-point kind of question. "I-I guess." He stuttered over words. Gilbert smiled. "West sent me a text." He said, waving his phone around that had miraculously found itself in his hand. "Something about our 'opposites'. I don't listen much during world meetings anymore. I'm not a country anyway, I only go there because I don't have much left to do with my life."

Lanzo nodded, somewhat understanding his decision but not fully. He slumped down in his chair, as he would do in just about every world meeting he had gone to, and diverted his gaze elsewhere. Gilbert couldn't help but notice the Teutonic Knight emblem on the side of his jacket's sleeve. It made him smile, remembering the old days when he roamed around as a country.

"So, you seem to be a fan huh?" Lanzo looked up and then followed his eyes to the symbol on his arm. "Yeah. I miss the old days." He moved his arm into the light for a better view. "It was much better back than." He said with a sigh.

"Back then I had _power_, I had _control_. When people saw me they would run away in fear for their lives. When I fought people I could learn their techniques and skills. Their movements and abilities. Then use it against them until I managed to make the final blow. Those days were the best. But now..." He looked down again, all the pride that was in his eyes seconds beforehand disappeared. His frown returning. "Now I'm a _nobody_. A _loser_. I'm _not awesome_. I'm _not brave_. Heck, I'm _not even a country_ anymore!" He seemed as if he would cry.

Gilbert started to laugh. Lanzo looked up, confused and angry. _Why was he laughing?_

Gilbert stood up, throwing his chair to the side. "What are you talking about? Yeah, maybe _we're_ not a country anymore. But that doesn't change the facts. _We are Prussian!_ Brave men that sailed the seas and fought off unwanted 'guests'. Yeah, maybe we got our asses kicked in the War of Austrian Succession by that jerk Hungary, and maybe we got murdered in World War II and had to sleep under Russia's rooftops for a crap ton of time. But still, we were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!" He made sure to emphasize on the entire word to get his point across.

"C'mon! Show your Preußen pride!" Gilbert laughed his signature laugh and stood tall and proud.

As much as Lanzo would've loved to stand up as well and laugh like he used to, he found it awkward that a moment ago he had been trying to break into his counterpart's house, and now they were in a somewhat friendly conversation. While Gilbert bathed in his previous glory, Lanzo took a chance to fully examine his appearance.

It was fairly obvious that he hadn't been planning for any visitors, he was wearing a black shirt with blue shorts and a pair of white socks. Just like himself, he had white hair and red eyes, minus the four scars. Then his eyes caught a gleaming piece of jewelry that he was fairly curious about.

"You still... wear yours?" He asked. Gilbert stopped laughing and gave him a confused look. Lanzo tapped his chest and Gilbert looked downwards. His eyes caught his iron cross and he smiled again. "This old thing? Course I do! I've had this since... forever maybe!" He laughed again. Lanzo was starting to like this guy.

"Uhm, don't you wear yours?" Gilbert asked, a curious look formed on his face. Lanzo shook his head sadly. "No, not since the dissolution. Mine seemed to have... broken after I dissolved." Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "Strange. Mine was perfectly fine afterwards." He played with the cross in his fingers.

"I still carry mine about though." He reached into his pant's pocket and rummaged through them before yanking his hand out and placing it down on the table. His fist opened up and two objects clanked against the top. He moved his hand away and the remains of his cross were revealed. Half of it were apart from it, jagged bits and piece along the edge, showing that it had been broken with a large amount of physical power.

Gilbert scooped the two pieces up and looked at them. His finger traced one of the two broken halves and ran them over the many shards.

Suddenly the clock rang, signaling that an hour had passed. Lanzo jumped up. _I need to go, or the others will surely grow suspicious of me._ "I'm sorry Gilbert but I must leave. I hope to see you again in the future. Lebewohl." He waved before running out of the house, forgetting his Iron Cross that was still placed in a certain pair of hands.

* * *

C'était une perte de temps = It was a waste of time (French)

Jigoku o kuso = Fucking hell (Japanese)

Casa sicura = Safe house (Italian)

Ein Räuber = A Robber (German)

Preußen = Prussia/Prussian (German)

Lebewohl = Goodbye (German)

**A/N: Woot! Had more fun writing this chapter. I really wanted to get some more attention put on Lanzo, since he doesn't seem to be that much of a popular 2p! Character as others. I had some problems settling on his appearance and personality though, so I just took tidbits of headcannons I heard and came up with, and put them into this guy. Hope it was at the least acceptable. Also, I really wanted to upload this on Valentine's day. Looks like I met that schedule for once.  
**


	8. Chapter 8: Spill My Guts

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

**Spill My Guts**

Alfred and Ludwig had both bolted out the back door to follow the culprits, ending up hot on their trail for a good ten minutes before losing sight of them completely. "Verdammt!" Ludwig spat, slowly his pace and catching his breath. Neither of them could see any sign of their targets. Even the convenient blood trail they had been following now seemed to have disappeared. "Looks like we lost them." Alfred mumbled, turning around to head back. "You're just going to give up?" Ludwig asked between gasps for air. Alfred nodded. "We can't do much chasing after shadows. It's best we go back and help the others." Sighing in defeat, Ludwig lead the way back to the world building.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kiku was trying to persuade the others that he was perfectly fine. But it was quite obvious that he wasn't. One side of his face had a large, disturbing bruise that was changing colors rapidly. Along with that was a thin cut. It seems as if the impact was so strong that the skin broke and created a long cut. On the other side of his face was a large, red hand print that stung to touch, as well as a couple of red fingers from being crushed.

"I'm fine..." he murmured as his brother grabbed him by the arm and lifted him to his feet. "No you're not aru! Your wounds need to be tended to." He started to drag his brother along, Arthur following close behind as the others began to clean up the mess. Alfred and Ludwig returned just in time to see Kiku reluctantly scooting his feet across the ground in order to keep up with Yao, who was almost running down the hall. Halfway to their infirmary, Kiku fell unconscious on Yao's arm.

Thinking of the worst, he began to panic and shake his brother furiously. Arthur struggled to keep Yao under control. "Settle down! You might just make it worse! He's probably just sleep deprived. He hasn't slept for nearly two days now, he's bound to be tired."A couple minutes later, after struggling to carry the surprisingly heavy body of Kiku down the rest of the hallway, they finally managed to make it to their makeshift infirmary. It was just a hospital bed with a cabinet full of medications and a bag full of supplies. It was usually used for minor wounds whenever fights were to break out. It wasn't often, but whenever it occurred they were always prepared.

The two lifted Kiku onto the bed and Yao pulled up a chair next to him. Meanwhile, Arthur was digging through the medical bag to find some band-aids. He managed to find a really big one and starts to peel off the backs of it. He places it over the wound and made sure it won't come up when applying the ice pack. Being countries, their wounds heal much quicker than those of a human. But they still hurt just as much. He places the ice-pack gently on his cheek and positions Kiku's head to the side, compressing the pack between the mattress and his cheek.

Standing up, he notices the white knuckle grip Yao has on his brother's hand. Arthur pats him on the back and motions him to follow. "We should let him rest. He very well deserves it." Nodding slowly, Yao hesitantly lets go of the cold hand and follows Arthur. They head back to the now destroyed meeting room, no communication whatsoever to each other. Once they arrive after the short walk, they find everyone cleaning up the mess. Ludwig, Ivan, and Alfred were tipping tables and chairs upright while Antonio and Lovino were sweeping up the ashes and trying to find anything that they could reuse.

Yao, being the oldest and, according to a certain Russian, most fragile, he was left to the side to watch everyone work as quickly as they could. It made him feel left out and useless, to a certain extent of course. So he was forced to sit against the wall and watch everyone to whatever they had to do. He eventually grew bored, but the feeling in his stomach kept him from moving. He definitely wasn't hungry, he had just come back from a meal with the others anyway.

What he was feeling was in the bowels of his stomach was nothing more than good ol' fashion fear. Fear for himself, his brother, the others, and Feliciano. Especially Feliciano. He couldn't bare to imagine the pain and suffering he was bound to be going through at that moment. It made his stomach churn at the thought. If the others were as bad as Kuro..

Finally he stood straight and walked over towards the door to leave the room. "I need some fresh air aru..." He mumbled to no one in particular. The room was, after all, lingering of the smell of smoke. The ashes had, for the most part, been disposed of but their scent still remained. The windows were left open, but it didn't help too much. Arthur noticed Yao's fleeing back and stood up. He quickly tells the others he would be back momentarily and then rushed out of the door, following the Chinese man. By the time he was in the hallway, he was able to see Yao walk out the front doors.

Walking quickly as to not draw any attention to himself by passerby, he opened the double doors. The sun was high and bright now, a small breeze helping to cool those who were exposed the the it's hot rays. The perfect combination of hot and cold made it an enjoyable experience. Few clouds scattered the sky, bringing small bits of shade every now and then.

The street was now bustling more, not as much as it had been previously but enough to prove that most of the town was awake. Yao was sitting on the very last step of the staircase, his back slouched as his elbows rested on his knees.

He took in deep breaths of the fresh air and sighed happily. Arthur walked down the staircase as quietly as possible, trying not to disturb Yao. He seemed to be watching the leaves fall from the trees. Though he wasn't as into it as his brother was, it gave him something to gaze at while he tried to clear his lungs of smoke. Arthur sat down next to Yao and followed his eyes up to the top of the trees. "Pretty nice huh?" Yao nodded, ignoring the fact that, out of all the people, Arthur had decided to sit next to him. He sighed.

"What you want Opium?" He asked rather harshly. He slightly flinched at the tone, but retained his composure quickly. "Something is troubling you Yao. Ever since I mentioned the Two-ps you and Kiku have both been on edge. More than the rest of us at least. What's on your mind?"

Yao took in a sharp breath, before releasing it slowly and lowering his shoulders. He was tense, really tense. And the burden of keeping secrets compiled inside of him hurt his old heart. Defeated, he sat up straight again and looked into Arthur's eyes. "You have to promise me you won't tell a soul aru." Arthur placed his right head over his heart and raised the other. "I swear on my life and all those whom depend on it, that I won't speak a word of the secret that brings such a heavy burden upon you and your people."

Convinced, Yao began. "A very long time ago, maybe even before the _Great British Empire,_ there were once_... two Japans. _Two personifications of my dìdì, but each with their own roles. The original, Kiku, was in charge of Economics and most Diplomatic situations aru. Whereas his duplicate or _Kuro _was in charge of Military power. Every once in awhile he'd butt in on Diplomatic affairs but all in all he knew his place. Kuro saw himself as a bǎohù zhuāngzhìa, a guardian aru. The one that was in charge of keeping Kiku safe, along with everyone else that he was put in charge of. That's when things started to get out of hand...

"Kuro wanted more power, more control over everything. He got more say in Diplomatic issues and started suggesting to declare war to a lot of people. But Kiku, being the peaceful man he is, didn't see much reason in doing such a thing and even less of a gain in the end aru. So they avoided war as often as they could. For the most part, their army was used to fend off invaders.

"But then Kuro got hào diàn.

"He wanted to have more than just Japan aru. He wanted other countries as well. At that time, Korea was a primary target for both of our countries I ruled over it, but Kiku was interested.. Kiku and I had actually been debating possible compromises, but Kuro just _had _to butt in aru.

"He wanted to own Korea, even if it meant taking it by force. So that's what he did aru. Less than three days later, the _War of Jiawu _or, as you Westerns seem to call it, the First Sino-Japanese war. It was a terrible time for my country specifically. Though it only lasted a year, many of my men died trying to defeat Kuro. We wanted to modernize our military aru, but it didn't seem to work.

"We surrendered and lost Korea that day, it was terrible. It sparked revolutions and whatnot within China, and it caused harm to everyone. Kuro was happy overall, but tensions between our countries grew furiously.

"After that, I rarely spoke to my brother aru. He attempted many times but I refused. It wasn't his fault altogether, he had no control over Kuro himself. But he could've at least tried harder to stop him. It might not of worked, but it would have at least told me that he still cared aru!" He stopped talking for a moment to catch his breath, before continuing. Arthur was extremely curious. He had heard of the war, but he didn't know much of the history behind it. He was just never interested enough.

"Anyway, about forty-two or so years later, I finally decide to visit him aru. A surprise visit if anything, but I needed to see him again. I was starting to forget how he looked. So, I travel out to Japan and go to his house. I knocked on the door and waited patiently aru. It eventually opened, and I expected to see calm brown eyes staring at me. Instead I found a pair of blood red ones complete with a dark smile."  
"Kuro."  
"Shì.  
"So right off the bat I asked him what he was doing there. He calmly replied that he lived there and then invited me in for tea. I asked him where Kiku was and he just said that he was sleeping aru. Now, I had just traveled all the way from China to Japan so I wasn't about to turn around and head all the way back just because of him. But I was still cautious, obviously our past isn't the best so I had good reason to be aru. So I go in after being invited, take off my shoes and then sit down inside. Sure enough, Kiku is in the other room sleeping silently and peacefully aru.

"Kuro snaps at me not to bother him and then prepares us tea. Not trusting anything that this man were to provide for me, I ignored the green tea cup he had placed in front of me and we sat there silently. I wasn't trusting this guy for one bit though aru. I mean, he hadn't taken that smile off of his face since I arrived! It was suspicious!

"But I wasn't about to show that I was scared of him. Stand my ground right aru? I needed to prove to him that I wasn't going to shrimp down and give him the upper hand. I sat tall and proud and ignored any looks he sent my way. I was calm and composed until he spoke to me. The words he said..."

Yao shutters for effect. "They were evil, cruel. I hated them. Though they seemed so nice, they were quite the opposite." He paused for a moment, as if debating on whether or not to continue. Or just to recall what he was going to say. Arthur raised an eyebrow. "What did he say?" Yao sighed.

"He said, "Yao, I'm going to say this only once so listen and listen good. I don't _care _about you whatsoever, but I care about Kiku. I want what's best for him. Your country has the things _we _need. Raw materials, food, labor, and much, much more. Nihon doesn't have all of that, or at least as much. So we need your country."

"If it were from anyone else, I would've thought that they were simply asking for support of some sort. But this was Kuro. It was the exact opposite aru. His words were laced with venom, everyone letter was slithered into a word and then spat out at me. He wasn't even threatening me. He was _promising _me aru. It was a warning that a war was coming. He wanted to dominate my country and take everything I had worked hard to create. I couldn't allow that Opium, I just couldn't.

"So I was forced into a war aru. The second Sino-Japanese war. On July 7th of 1937, it became official.

"After he said that, I got up to leave. I needed to leave that place, no matter how much I wanted to see Rìběn. But he wasn't going to just let me walk away. No, he wanted to make an example of me aru. So when I was hallway to the door he took out his katana and he..."

Yao gulped and looked down at the floor, for once breaking away from Arthur's eyes to look elsewhere. "Maybe..." He stopped again. "Maybe it's best that I just show you." Without another word he stood up and started walking up the stairs, mumbling "Follow me Opium." and then continuing. Arthur followed close behind and found himself in the Men's restroom. Feeling awkward, he sat there and waited as Yao looked at himself in the mirror. "Give me a moment aru." He murmured before he started to remove his uniform jacket.

"What the bloody hell?!" Arthur exclaimed, surprised and confused. "Oh shut up Opium, I just need you to see something aru." First came his jacket and then his shirt and then he was half naked in front of Arthur, who could feel his cheeks growing hot and he turned away to avoid embarrassment. "Can't you show me whatever it is with your shirt on?" He earned an irritated sigh after that remark.

"No, now will you just look so I can get this over with? I don't like it anymore than you aru!" Reluctantly, Arthur turned around. Yao had his back to him, arms crossed and feet about shoulder width apart. Arthur was confused at what he was supposed to be looking at, until his eyes focused a bit more and he saw it. Starting at the tip of his shoulder blade and trailing down, across his spine, and then stopping above his hip was a scar. A long, deep scar. It sent shivers down his spine, just thinking of what had gone down that night.

Stepping forward for closer examination, Arthur nearly reached out to trail his fingers across it. But he knew that if he were to, he'd surely received a slap. "I don't really know what happened after he sliced me down the back. I yelled, Kiku came out, said something in Japanese then I passed out. Woke up in a hospital a week later. Apparently something happened to my spine. He cut a bit too deep and a bit too hard aru. Screwed up something important. It wasn't anything bad, at least considering the fact that I'm a country aru. But the doctors were freaking out. They wouldn't let me leave even after I told them I was fine aru.

"I was back in Shanghai just in time to sign the declaration of war aru."

The was a moment of silence before Yao turned around and started to put back on the other half of his uniform. "Any questions?"

"Yes, quite a few actually." He let Yao put back on his shirt before he started to ask questions. "If I can recall correctly, the second Sino-Japanese war started two years before World War II did, and ended on the same day since Japan surrendered. But... does that mean Kuro was always there?"

Yao nodded. "Yes, he was always there. In the shadows aru. Kiku and Kuro were never on the same battlefield at the same time. The only way I could tell which one was, was by their uniforms. Kuro preferred the black naval uniform whereas Kiku liked the white. It was an easy giveaway to anyone who understood it aru."

Arthur nodded, understanding it a bit more. "So... Koru fought in the second World War as well?" Yao thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Not as much though. That was Kiku's role. He was just focused on getting rid of me aru. But thankfully, Éguó, Měiguó, and even Déguó helped me beat him." Yao finished putting on his jacket and was now facing Arthur. "So... if my theory about Two-Ps is true then... does that mean Kuro and Kiku fought?"

"Of course it does aru! How else did you expect things to work out? Kuro was getting out of hand, Kiku and I both knew it. He was starting to do things on his own, and that was causing trouble for everybody, even the person that he swore to protect. The second Sino-Japanese war was just setting the barriers for it all aru. After that ended and the two fully healed after the two wars they had fought through, Kiku finally decided enough was enough. His people were suffering because of the foolish move Kuro decided to take, and more were bound to come if something wasn't done about it! So they fought. I wasn't there, I wish I had been. I could've helped him so much more.

"He lost the first fight. And the next. And the next. They never got close enough to kill each other aru. Just forced the other into submission. Kiku started working harder though. Kuro knew what he was planning to do, and he couldn't allow such a thing to happen. Kiku was no match for Kuro in any way, shape, or form. He was the economy. Kuro was the military. Big difference in power aru. So Kiku worked harder and harder and harder until they were equally matched. Then they fought, over and over again. It got to the point where I couldn't tell who I was talking to anymore. Kiku or Kuro? I didn't know. Kiku asks so much like _him_ when he's angry. It's kind of scary aru.

"It took so long before one of them was finally the victor. I don't know much of the details. I didn't even know about the fights going on until it was near over aru. Kiku didn't say a word to me. You would have to ask Kiku about what happened that night, but I don't recommend it. Not yet at least. It's hard for me to even say things like this to you Opium, but I need to tell someone. I won't dare speak of it with Kiku aru. I can't imagine what It would be like for him. So please Opium, do me a favor.

"Please _don't _mention this conversation to Kiku. If you decide to ask him about I don't care aru. But I had promised him I wouldn't speak of his past, and I broke that promise the second I decided to spill my guts to you aru." Arthur nodded, understanding how much that promise must of meant. "I will continue with my previous claim. I won't tell _a soul_ about this conversation. No matter what." Yao sighed with relief, then looked over at him. "Thank you Arthur." Yao walked past him and left. Arthur was surprised by the use of his _human name_ but didn't ponder on it for long. This recently gained information would help him greatly.

* * *

Verdammt = Damn (German)

Dìdì = Younger Brother (Chinese)

Zhuāngzhìa = Guardian (Chinese)

Hào Diàn = Power Hungry (Chinese)

Shì = Yes (Chinese)

Nihon = Japan (Japanese)

Rìběn = Japan (Chinese)

Éguó = Russia (Chinese)

Měiguó = America (Chinese)

Déguó = Germany (Chinese)

**A/N: Ciao~ I hope I didn't use _aru _a lot less than I should have. I was trying to use it in the explanation without overusing it. That just annoys me you know ._.' But now I'm wondering if it's not used enough. Oh well, it's there now. Anyway, I couldn't wait to get into the history of Koru. Whenever I thought of Koru I thought of Japan's betrayal and the Sino-Japanese wars. They always interested me and I found it great how the second one sort of morphed into WWII. It would appear that I didn't mention the bombing of Pearl Harbor anywhere ^.^' but oh well, maybe later on. Also, for all of you who don't know China tends to refer to England as "Opium" after the Opium Wars, or Anglo-China wars. I hope that was enough of a history lesson to help you figure out why China and Japan have been so freaked out. Can't wait to start the next chapter, i have an interesting idea in story. Ciao~**


	9. Chapter 9: Dining With the Devils

**CHAPTER NINE**

**Dining With the Devils**

After the groups had departed the three remaining nations took turns going back and forth to check on their guest, whom had been unconscious ever since the cupcake incident.

"Man, how many of those things did ya' force feed him Oliver?" The Englishman pouted and crossed his arms. "I'll have you know that he ate that cupcake on his own free will. And it was barely a morsel that he devoured before he collapsed." The sentence ended with a jolly smile. Kasper gave him a questioning glare. "How much did you put in there if it meant that he passed out within seconds of taking the first bite?" Oliver shrugged. "A couple spoonfuls perhaps."

Kasper sighed. At this rate, the poor fellow might not wake up at all. They'll just have to wait and see.

* * *

A good couple of hours later, the others returned. "Have a fun trip? You've been gone all morning." The others scoffed, Luciano stepped forward to clarify. "Only some of us had success. My group had some fun. You three missed it, Kuro got into a fight with his one-P. Kiku is it? I got to know him a lot better during the walk home." Luciano smiled and Kuro rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He murmured before walking off.

Their headquarters was decent sized. It was, after all, once a butcher shop. There was the front where everyone ordered their meats and whatnot. Then once you went into the back there was a big open area that, for the most part, was used as a storage unit. That's where their living and dining area was placed. Then there was the section where the animals were butchered. Obviously, an unchanged and more personal torture chamber. A fairly large office that was used to cook meals. Not the best place to do such a thing, but not one argued. There was also a basement which had mattress and sheets scattered about. For the most part, that's where they slept. And lastly, the freezer, where their captive was being held. The temperatures had been brought up to prevent him from freezing to death, but not too hot that it would be unbearable.

Kuro wandered over to the dining table and sat down, both annoyed and bored out of his mind. He shouldn't be sitting around and waiting for something to happen. He should be out there, taking action. But Luciano wouldn't allow it. So he didn't try. The others would likely stop him, and he wasn't in the mood to have a face full of pavement, or worse. So he tapped his fingers against the tabletop and waited for something interesting to occur. Which was bound to happen within mere moments.

Leonardo wandered off to prepare lunch, as no one had eaten whatsoever. He was a fairly excellent chef but, just like his brother, he decided to add a bit of a metallic flavor to his sauces. He hummed happily to himself as he started to create his relatively popular pasta dish. Back in the living room, Luciano began to question the others. "Is Feliciano up yet?" Kasper shook his head. "Hasn't gotten up, barely moved a muscle. He's breathing, at the least." Luciano sighed.

"Shame. I was hoping he'd be up by now. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to wait for lunch." He smiled deviously before walking away, a slight skip in his strides. He went out the front door and disappeared before anyone could question him.

Sebastian sighed and went off to the kitchen. On numerous accounts his companion had nearly killed them in fires, and he had to make sure that wouldn't happen again. Lanzo scooted his way down the steps and to the basement so he could sleep. He would probably be forced to get up again for their next meal, so he might as well rest while he can.

Oliver started to follow around Allan, asking him questions of all types for no real reason. Andrew and Jean had a small conversation with each other, just trying to communicate in any way they could. Kasper began to flip through the television channels, trying to find an interesting one with their cheap cable. Jian was trying to entertain himself with folds of paper, and Viktor was staring boredly out the window.

Overall, nothing exciting was going on. It took another half an hour before something important actually occurred.

"Welp, we didn't burn anything down." Sebastian blatantly stated while walking out of their "kitchen". Leonardo followed, pulling off his gloves and smiling proudly. "Lunch is ready!" He exclaimed, though he didn't really need to. Everyone got up from where ever they were to inform anyone who wasn't there. Kasper went downstairs, going to wake up his brother, and Jean went outside to find out where Oliver and Allan might have wandered off. "Andrew, do you mind fetching Feliciano? I think it's high time he eats."

Luciano seemed to appear out of nowhere. Andrew nodded and opened the door to the freezer.

Kuro eyed him suspiciously. "And where have _you _been?" Luciano's eyes seemed to glow for a moment before returning back to their "normal" state. "Oh, I was just visiting an old _friend_." His smile grew, if that was even possible. Kuro raised an eyebrow. "If you say so, _boss_." He spoke the last part rather sarcastically as Luciano walked off.

Andrew opened the steel door the lead to their makeshift cell and saw Feliciano just barely stirring. "Ey, you up yet shortstack?" He mumbled, poking him in the side with the tip of his hockey stick. Feliciano moved around a bit more, whispering something before earning a direct kick to the thigh. "Ow!" He yelped as he jumped from his seat, only to land on the ground again. "Wha-?"

He got cut off after seeing the ginormous size of Andrew who towered above him. "Lunch." He stated calmly before gripping Feliciano's arm tightly and lifting him to his feet. "C'mon, if I take too long I won't hear the end of it."

Using his hockey stick, he pushed it into the square of Feliciano's back and motioned for him to go further. Hesitantly, he continued further ahead. Walking through the damp and dark hallway before finally coming outside into the blinding light. Not being used to such a bright source after being in near darkness for two, maybe three days, he shielded his eyes in a futile attempt to give his eyesight a chance to adjust. Andrew took this opportunity to force Feliciano into a seat facing a wall. Dazed a bit from the sudden rotation of his body, Feliciano finally snapped back to reality and stared at the wall questioningly.

There were tens of hundred of cuts in the wall, noting that someone was extremely angry.

Suddenly a shadow engulfed his own and Feliciano turned his head to the right as quickly as he could. Once again he was facing Luciano, whose smile never seized to exist. "Buon pomeriggio, dear little Feliciano. How was your nap?" His hand found it's way to the back of the chair that he was now leaning against. "F-fine." Feliciano blurted out, shaking in his spot. His alter ego scared him, terribly. And it was times like these where he wish he could be brave. But it was something that he couldn't manage.

"Well, it would seem that you haven't been properly introduced to everyone." He purred, twirling a knife in the opposing hand. "And you haven't eaten in a good while, hm? I say we fix those two minor problems." Without warning, he gripped the chair and spun it around violently. Gripping onto the sides of it for his dear life, Feliciano shut his eyes for a brief moment until the movement stopped altogether. Opening his eyes afterwards and looking up, he pulled his attention towards a group that had collected behind him unknowingly. Most of them looked more than annoyed but sat there reluctantly.

The section seemed to be separated into two groups, a large gap between the two. Luciano stepped over to join them, "As you already know, my name is Luciano Veneziano Vargas, and these are my companions." He said, motioning to the first and closest group. He stepped back and waited. The first to come forward was the relatively average sized Asian man with cold blood eyes. His expression was blank and emotionless. "Kuro Honda." He stated before bowing. It was surprisingly respectful, until he stood up and a murderous grin was planted on his face.

It made Feliciano shudder in his spot.

Next was the tall German man that only seem to distinct from his 'original' by the fact that he had four fairly noticeable scars. "Kasper." He said, violet eyes peeking out from under his tan cap. Feliciano noted the claw-like scar marks on the back of his arm. It created small questions as well as the scar laced with stitches on his cheek.

Then came the quiet albino who looked fairly similar to his Gilbert, aside from the fact that he had four scars,each one on his face. One across his right eye, two across his nose, and a final one across his left cheek. He refused to make eye contact with Feliciano and simply waved. "L-lanzo Beilschmidt..." He rushed back into line quickly, letting the next introduce himself.

"Ciao~ we met already! I'm Leonardo Vargas." The opposite smiled and Feliciano couldn't understand he could be his brother's opposite. Yes, all of them seemed to be opposites in some way, but this one was _beyond_ opposite. The only thing that he could seem to relate was the style of his hair and position of his curl. Aside from that, without any previous knowledge he could easily be mistaken for someone else. Or be considered a cousin. Feliciano weakly waved back as Luciano pulled his brother behind.

Next was the Spain look-alike, who seemed to have no interest in anything. His hair was the same shade, just longer and pulled back with a red ribbon. "Sebastian Fernandez Carriedo." There was an obvious space between each name, giving each one time to sink in.

The first group was finished and it was now the second's turn. First came the jolly Englishmen, who had fed him the contaminated cupcake."Ello! Glad to see you're okay! I'm sure I already introduced myself, but I guess I can again. I'm Oliver Kirkland." He barely was given a chance to step back before the next started.

"Allan, Allan F. Jones and don't forget it." Despite the heavily tinted shades, he was still able to see the crimson red eyes peering deep into his soul. He was roughly pulled back by the man he had came into far too many encounters with. He didn't even bother to step forward, he was one of the tallest in the room and his broad figure was enough to draw anyone's attention.

"Andrew Williams." His voice was strong and full of power, his glasses being pulled to be placed on the top of his head so he could look Feliciano right in the eyes. It caused him to slide farther back into his seat. The introductions continued despite this.

Next was a man who seemed to care a lot less about his appearance than anyone in the room. Even Feliciano, who had been manhandled and beaten, had still flattened his clothes and briefly combed his hair with his figures just so he wouldn't look like a train wreck."Jean Joc Bonnefoy." He had an intense poker face that made Feli uncomfortable. His clothes were wrinkled and his face, almost completely unshaved. His long hair was tangled every here and there, and bags were under his eyes.

Next was the tall Russian who was a bit less intimidating than his counterpart. "Viktor Braginski." He appeared to be just as tall and had the same attire, just a different color scheme, but his aura was a lot less... dark. Not by too much, just enough to lower the level of horror that the normal Russia seemed to produce. He also had bags under his eyes and the bored expression on his face seemed to stick.

Lastly was the smaller man standing next to Viktor."Jian Wang." This China, unlike the other, seemed a lot more laid back and seemed to have half a smile on his face. A hat covered much of his forehead and his hair was cut short, unlike his other. He seemed to have the same shade of blood red eyes as Koru, _big surprise_. Also, his shirt collar covered much of his neck and barely stopped at his chin.

Finally, the introductions that Luciano had forced the others to participate in were now over and, to be honest, Feliciano was just as relieved. But he didn't expect what was coming next. "Well, now that that is over, we can finally eat." His smiled that had disappeared for a couple of minor seconds returned as he walked over to Feliciano.

Abruptly, the chair was lifted up and Feliciano nearly fell off of it before it was once again spun around and he was placed next to a table. There were eight chairs total, two on each side, and plates in front of each one. He looked questioningly at the scene before people started sitting down.

Viktor sat next to him, Kuro to his left. Luciano took his place across from Kuro, Jian sat next to him, seeming to refuse to sit next to his brother, who Lanzo was forced to take a seat by. Across from him, Sebastian and Leonardo took their seats and smiled happily. The others, except for Kasper, sat next to the TV, either in a wooden chair or on the couch. Kasper came in with two steaming pot, filled with pasta and the _special sauce_, that he placed down on the table.

One by one, the plates were covered in the delicious meal as everyone waited patiently. It wasn't long before all had received their plates and they were able to eat.

Feliciano picked at the food at first, before deciding to finally eat. Overall, the food was good and filled his stomach. But the sauce was odd and he almost gagged at first taste, but stopped himself since he didn't want to anger anyone. Leonardo spoke happily to Sebastian and Jian talked to Viktor, stating obvious insults about his brother without a care in the world.

Luciano and Kuro seemed to be having a stare down and every so often one or the other would wince in pain. Confused and curious, he couldn't miss the fact that their bodies seem to sway ever so slightly. It took him a moment to realize that they were kicking each other under the table. This caused him to raise an eyebrow but didn't think much about it, they were probably just joking around. Then they engaged in a not so nice conversation, and he knew that they weren't just being _friends_.

"So. Kuro, your fight today was fairly entertaining. I didn't expect your counterpart to put up as little of a fight as he had. He's a real weakling isn't he?" Kuro sent a death glare across the table. Yes, maybe the two fought often and Kuro had sworn to have some sort of revenge, but _no one_ insulted Kiku as he had just done. Kuro still found himself as someone that would protect Kiku against such things. "At least Kiku can put up a fight, unlike yours." He said through gritted teeth.

Luciano only smiled, obviously noting that he was getting on the Asian's nerves. "Well, if you would prefer that I'd talk about someone else, I would also love to say that your attack was rather sloppy as well. You just did whatever you thought was best and went along with it. Real sciocco if you ask me." He grinned as he wrapped another band of pasta around his fork and brought it up to his mouth, his eyes never leaving Kuro's as he took a bite.

Feliciano wasn't the only one who was watching the fight attentively. Kasper was glaring over his shoulder from the couch, and Jian had stopped talking to see everything unfold.

"Well, if you'd like to talk about foolishness, then how about we start with that mafia of yours. Who's stupid idea was to start something like that? A bunch of idiots grouping together and calling themselves criminals? It only made you look like the baka here." Luciano's grip tightened on his fork. "The Mafia was fratello's idea. And it has been very di successo." He started eating again, Feliciano had just about finished his entire plate and was now just sitting there, watching intensively.

"Of course it was. Your brother really is an idiot hm? But, I guess I can't be too surprised that you're related. Stupidity must run in your family."

Luciano dropped his fork and looked back up at Kuro. "Shut up idiota! You have no idea what you're talking about." He slipped back into his seat, sighing in disapproval. Kuro knew he now had the upper hand in this argument. "Of course I don't. I don't bother to look up things that would waste my precious time. Stupid things like the Italian Mafia. And just about anything else that has to do with your hakujaku country." Feliciano sunk back in his seat. Luciano wasn't the only one feeling offended. "Andare all'inferno bastardo." Luciano stated firmly. A smile formed on Jian's face, but he covered it with his hand almost immediately. Kuro stood up, slamming his hands on the table. "Gladly."

. . .

The fight started shortly after. Kuro and Luciano both rose from their seats and engaged in a heated battle. Though it seemed unfair, by the fact that Kuro had an entire sword whereas Luciano had a knife, he sure as hell knew how to use it. Dodges and Counters made up most of the fight, everyone was interested in watching the two rip each other apart.

Feliciano sat against the wall, trying to avoid the bloodshed that was raining down. Unlike the fight between Kuro and his counterpart, in this fight hits were being made often. Kuro's arm wound was reopened and Luciano had a newly received bruise on his hip from being thrown back into the table.

Minor cuts and whatnot started forming on both of their bodies. Not large enough to cause a bleed out, at least within the time being despite their fast paced heart beats, but being just big enough to cause their bodies to sting in agony. Blood was smeared into the floor and rubbed into objects that the two managed to run into during their tussle. Kasper sat at the sidelines, arms crossed and back against the wall. Sebastian walked up to him, no emotion in his face. "You know, if they keep this up they'll kill each other."  
"Yup."  
"Should we stop them?"  
"Five more minutes." He mumbled lazily. Sebastian rolled his eyes before walking off, not wanting to be the one to pull the two apart. It's like trying to break apart two dogs locked jaw-to-jaw. You're bound to get bit. But five minutes was also plenty of time for the two to rip each other apart. Koru made sure to keep his distance, getting too close increased the chance of being stabbed. You never wanted to be that close. You could almost be promised to die at that point. But Luciano didn't only have one way of fighting.

Kuro went for the diagonal uppercut, trying to disable Luciano's good arm. Instinctively, Luciano jumped back to avoid the hit. But he didn't move fast enough, as the side of his hand was slit and his knife fell from his grip and out of reach. "Damn." He murmured, ducking under another swing before sliding back until he was against the wall.

A good eight feet away from his opponent, Luciano rolled down his right sleeve, revealing a knife strapped to the inside of his arm with a leather band. Quickly slipping it out, he gripped it by the tip in his left hand and raised it behind his head.

Skillfully, he flung the knife towards Kuro who had little to no time to react. Jolting to the side, his right shoulder collided into the wall and the knife managed to slice deep into his cheek. Hissing in pain, Kuro placed his free hand over his now bloody cheek as the crimson liquid seeped down his chin and dripped onto his shoulder. It took him a moment to realize that Luciano was running towards him. Once again, he was unable to react in time as a punch landed to the side of his head. Katana dropped to the ground and forgotten, the two fought bare handed.

Luciano had the upper hand at first, having landed on top he was able to pound Kuro's head into the ground. But the advantage was short lived once Kuro managed to get his knees under Luciano's stomach, and he was flipped over with large amounts of force. Landing on his back with a thud followed by a grunt, Kuro grabbed him by the neck and lifted him to his feet. Throwing him into the wall, it was now his turn to inflict pain. Two punches collided with his forehead, followed by a knee to the gut and then a small kick to the shin. Luciano winced but refused to stop fighting.

To break from Kuro's strong grip, Luciano headbutted him. While he was stunned, Luciano reached into his boot and pulled out a thin knife. Gripping it with his right hand as the other held Kuro in place, he raised it back and prepared to stab it square into his chest. But before his hand could even move Kasper grabbed his wrist and forced him to drop the knife to the floor. It clanked loudly as Luciano sent Kasper death glares. The German did his best to ignore them and ushered Kuro to the side.

"Trust me, I love seeing you two rip each other limb from limb but this isn't the time or the place to be doing such a thing. If you don't remember, we're here for a reason." He crossed his arms disapprovingly and Luciano straightened himself up.

Kuro grabbed his katana and cleansed the blood off of it with a rag laying to the side, before placing it back in it's sheath. Luciano checked his wounds. He'll probably won't feel the full extent of them until morning, same going for Kuro. It took him a moment to notice Feliciano quivering in the corner. He sighed, not in the mood to deal with the coward. "Someone take him back to his cell. He's seen enough for today." Andrew sighed, picking Feliciano up by his arm and dragging him back to his cell. The last thing Feliciano managed to see was the blood dripping down from Luciano's wrist.

* * *

Buon Pomeriggio = Good Afternoon (Italian)

Sciocco = Foolish (Italian)

Baka = Idiot (Japanese)

Fratello = Brother (Italian)

Di Successo = Success (Italian)

Idiota = Idiot (Italian)

Hakujaku = Weak (Japanese)

Andare all'inferno Bastardo = Go to Hell Bastard (Italian)

**A/N: Another fight scene for the win! I had to really figure out how this would work out, specifically because I wanted the two to be equal power wise. I'd imagine they would get on each other's nerves quite a bit, which was kind of the idea behind the whole chapter. I wanted to scare Italy shitless while making things interesting. This is what happened :D**


	10. Chapter 10: I Wanted You Dead

**CHAPTER TEN**

**I Wanted You Dead**

Lovino sighed, he was unhappy and bored. They were back to square one again, nothing of their previous progress was left. The bastards burned everything, even the note and picture. _Nothing_. They had nothing left. It was now about just trying to remember what they had before everything happened. Something that people were arguing over, claiming false fact after fact. It was really annoying him and if he didn't get out of this terrible atmosphere his head was bound to explode.

Finally tired of all of this, Lovino roughly shoved his chair back and stood up. He began to slip on his jacket as he spoke to his companion. "Oi Spain! Tell the potato-bastard that I'm going for a walk. Be back later."

"Be careful Lovi!" Antonio called out behind him. Lovino lazily waved a hand at him, not even looking back or commenting on the nickname. Once he was outside, he wasn't sure where he was planning to go. He didn't have any money on him, so heading to get some food was not an option. So what if he'd just had lunch a couple of hours actually before noon? He was still hungry.

As much as he would've loved to head home, too far of a walk. He wasn't planning to head a couple of miles out, just a good ten minutes or so of fresh air and thinking room. Then it hit him, the park. It was barely a couple of blocks down and would likely be empty this early. Kids are in school and people are working, that's just how things roll.

A good ten or so minutes later, Lovino arrives at the brass gate labeled "Adams National Park". Whatever, he didn't care whoever Adam was and why he's so important, Lovino was just here to clear his mind. Talking a couple of steps in, his predictions were right. Nobody's here, too early for that. He'll have plenty of alone time without anyone barging in on his thoughts. So his adventure began.

He had lots of thinking to do. For one, he didn't exactly grasp this whole "One-P" and "Two-P" thing that well. How could there be two Italies?! Yes there was North and South, but another copy of those? He couldn't believe that.

It didn't help with the fact that Arthur had shouted something about Two-Ps being in the room, then when he went to look they were long gone and Alfred was running after them at high speeds with Ludwig. He didn't even have a mental imagine to make him understand. But the concept of opposites seemed... familiar. It was something that was on the back of his tongue but he couldn't say. Whatever it was, he needed to figure out what before it came back to bite him in the ass. Unfortunately, he didn't see it coming faster.

While he was mumbling to himself he didn't notice the figure creeping up behind him. "Stupid opposites bullshit taking my brother. Those damn bastards. If I find them I'll wring their necks an-" his sentence wasn't finished. It couldn't be finished. He was cut off rather abruptly by a cheery voice. "That's not very nice _fratello_." Lovino stopped in his spot, his eyes widening. "F-feli?" He asked, turning quickly on his heel.

His heart fell with what he saw. A sharp intake of and widening of eyes only made the figure before him smile bigger. "Close." The man said. "But not close enough." The knife seemed to come out of nowhere, swirling briefly around the other's finger before landing in his grip.

"Who are you?" Lovino asked, his voice was stern but his face showed otherwise. "What, you don't recognize your own _brother_?" The man smiled deviously and placed the flat end of his knife to his cheek. "You're not my brother...Who are you?" Lovino took a single step back as the man bowed before standing up. "Luciano Veneziano Vargas, at your service." This man, he seemed so familiar. Not just by the fact that his characteristics resembled his brother, but something else along the lines. As if they had met each other before.

"It's been _so long_ since we last saw each other. About fifty years don't you say?" _Fifty years? What the hell happened fifty years ago..._ "And it would seem that you haven't change a bit either. You're still just as loud-mouthed as you were before. You just don't know when to _shut up _hm?" Lovino swallowed down an insult that was bound to come out if he didn't bite his tongue.

"What are you talking about?" He blurted out but was quickly silenced by a knife being placed at his neck. "Don't pretend that you don't remember me, or are you really just that stupido? I guess you always were anyway." The knife was removed so it could be replaced with a gloved hand. It positioned itself as if he were going to choke him, but made no action to tighten. "I don't..." Lovino was lost for words, he couldn't remember. _Why couldn't he remember. _

"That's not why I came here though." He removed his hand and the smile returned to his face, but only for a short amount of time. Lovino raised an eyebrow. "Why are you here then?" Luciano frowned. "Because someone decided to spill my little secret." _Secret? What is he- _

_Goddammit_

Lovino remembered it now. It was something he tried to so hard forget. It was during the very beginning of World War II, his brother was acting weird. A lot weirder than normal at least. He wasn't always as happy and cheery as he usually was, he was acting a bit... murderous. It took him a moment to realize the change. The eyes was the most obvious one. For one, they were opened. And another, they weren't the regular brown but an odd violet.

His skin was a bit more tan as well, but that couldn't really be noted unless you saw a side-by-side comparison. Once he discovered the truth he confronted the man. He remember that night like it was painted in his mind and stuck there forever, something he would have to wake up to and look at because it would never go away.

. . .

_Lovino walked down the quiet corridor that lead to the library. Feliciano was in there. He was always in there at times like this. Not that he ever read. He would just watch the small fire that was lit every night in the small fireplace. He would watch the flames rise and fall, trying to crawl their way out of their small cage but never making it that far. It fascinated him to watch such things, and it warmed him up. _

_But Lovino knew the man sitting in that room in his favorite rosy red chair was not his brother, but a monster. He opened the door slowly, quietly, making sure that his presence was not known. Stepping in but not bothering to close the door, he went in further. _

_Just as he had predicted, his brother sat there and calmly watched the red flames. Lovino walked up behind him. He didn't want to startle his brother, who had recently picked up the hobby of carrying a knife with him wherever he went. Another obvious change. He didn't know if he was just being paranoid about the war and chance of assassination, though that seemed more probable for someone such as their boss, he still attacked anything that snuck up on him, as long as it moved. _

"_Buonasera fratello." Lovino stopped in his place, he obviously wasn't as quiet as he thought. "Evening." He replied quickly before continuing his strides towards his brother. The man in the chair sighed. "You really shouldn't sneak up on people fratello..." he murmured rather darkly. The only thing that could be seen was his right hand, which was covered with a tan sleeve. _

_Wait, tan sleeve? _

_Since when did his brother decide to change the color scheme of his uniform? It had always been blue. Blue blue blue, that was his brother's color and it seemed that he could never choose another over it._

"_I'll keep that in mind..." He muttered as he stopped behind the massive chair. "So fratello, how is everything going with the war?" Feliciano moved his hand around as he spoke, stereotypical Italian action. "Fine, but I hate siding with that macho potato guy. It's so stupid." He let out an aggravated huff. Feliciano stood from his seat and walked over to stand in front of the fireplace. Lovino noticed the small hat placed on his head. What the- "Shame." Shame? His brother never said shame, it just wasn't something that would slip from his mouth. Ever. _

_Lovino had enough of this, he stepped forward and his hands turned into balls, knuckles growing white. "Alright you bastard, who are you and what have you done with Veneziano?!" The other just chuckled, not even looking back. _

"_I don't know what you're talking about." His teeth gritted, arm tingled at the amount of anger flowing through his pulse. "Stop pretending you bastardo, I know you're not him. So where did you put him stronzo!?" Feliciano (?) turned around, a dark grin on his face. The knife he had a new habit of carrying around was in his hand, the tip pressed against his lip. _

_"Ah... fratello that's not very nice. Maybe I should cut that disrespectful tongue of yours out of your mouth." He hissed, swaying the knife back and forth. Lovino paled slightly but stood his ground. "What have you done with him." The other laughed again. "And I thought my brother was stupid. But you would seem to beat him on that mark." Lovino's face turned red, truly out of rage. He wanted to go over there and strangle this man, but he couldn't. Because he was scared. _

_"My name is Luciano. Remember it, because it will be the last thing you will hear before I tie you down and cut open your stomach, so you can die a slow and painful death." His voice was cheery, despite the phrase. Lovino had to run, and leave. He couldn't take on this man, especially without a weapon. His best chance was to run and escape this psychopath._

_So that's what he did. He turned around a bolted, running from the room and down the hall. All he heard was the lunatic laugh. "You can't escape fratello!" He ran faster. The front door wasn't far from there, he could make it if he just tried hard enough. He broke out into a full sprint, hearing the footsteps behind him as well speed up. He couldn't die now, he wasn't ready to. The front door was within his reach. He latched out and grabbed the knob, turning it quickly. _

_It wouldn't move._

_He tried again and again and again but it wouldn't budge. He was locked in. "How the hell?" He thought, then he remembered that the door could be locked from the outside. "Stupid ass design." He muttered before turning around. The key, where did he keep that damn key? Ah, yes! In the kitchen, he had one in the kitchen that hung on a rack. _

_Hopefully Luciano wouldn't get there first... it had gotten suspiciously quiet. He had turned around, expecting a knife to collide with his forehead. But then there was nothing. Nothing at all. There was no way he had lost the bastard, did he? Wouldn't this be the most obvious escape? No, he must of locked it himself. Probably hiding near another exit to ambush him. That wasn't going to happen._

_Cautiously, Lovino stalked down the hallways. He checked every corner and every crevice for any signs of the maniac. He couldn't get jumped at a time like this. The kitchen, why did it have to be so damn far away from the front door? Why did you have to walk down several hallways in order to reach the most used room in the entire household?! Another stupid design flaw, they really should've thought this out better. _

_Walking down one hall and into a door and he was finally in the grand kitchen. It was big, yes, but had no servants. Not at the moment at least, most of them had to be fired in order to increase funds for the war. He ran over to their fridge and checked the side. Just like they had always been, the keys were hanging on the wooden rack next to it. He snatched it quickly and then turned around, preparing to bolt._

_He never had a chance._

_He let out a scream as his hand fell to the newly placed incision on his leg. He felt the warm liquid flow down his thigh as he fell to his knee, grinding his teeth in pain. He looked up, seeing Luciano smiling down at him. "Did you really think it would be that easy fratello?" Lovino cursed under his breath at the pain streaking through his muscles. _

_"You're no brother of mine, bastardo." Luciano frowned, obviously unhappy with the response. _

_A newer, far worse wave of pain ripped through him as Luciano launched his knife deep into Lovino's leg. Screams erupted, followed by animalistic laughter as Luciano stared at his victim. He knelt down to the other's level, meeting him eye-to-eye."Listen idiota, if you tell anyone about this I will find you and I will finish you off. That is a promise I will keep. And once I kill you, I'll wipe out the rest of your family too. There will be no traces of the Vargas family left for anyone to see. So if you know what's good for you, keep quiet." _

_Those were Luciano's final words before he walked out of the house, never looking back._

...

That day scared Lovino for life, any remembrance of the dark figure that had claimed to be his brother for weeks on end, was forever carved into his memory. So he did anything and everything he could to forget it. Antonio had found Lovino, three days later, unconscious in his own blood in the kitchen. It was a miracle he survived, as if it had taken any longer he would have fallen.

He was then plowed with questions, from police all the way to companions. Antonio asked a few times, but after receiving no answer he gave up. But there was no way Lovino could keep such a secret for the rest of his life.

Who could he tell? Luciano had threatened that if he did then he would surely die, but how would he find out? It was nearly impossible for such a thing to happen, especially after his brother returned from his disappearance. Lovino was convinced that the monster was gone, and he was, at the least, safe. And what if he only told _one_ person, someone who wouldn't tell anyone else?

That was the best idea he had, at the moment. But who would he ask? He couldn't tell Feliciano, that would break his brother's fragile heart. The Potato-Bastard was out of the question, as well as the quiet Japanese man he barely conversed with. Most others were at war with him, they wouldn't listen. So who?

Antonio. That was the only person he could trust, was the tomato-bastard that had raised him and been his friend for god knows how long. He needed to get this secret off his chest, even if it meant he had a chance of dying as a cause of it. So, while he was still in the hospital, he told him everything. Starting from when his brother first started acting weird to that terrible, terrible night. It was a couple of hours worth of story, but Antonio was very interested. After spilling his guts to his self proclaimed best friend, Antonio gave him a comforting hug before departing, as visitor hours were over.

He never really thought that day would come back to haunt him, as it had made him feel better. He almost forgot it after those dreadful years full of war. Almost anything that happened aside from the fights and the bloodshed was forgotten in general. But it seems that his past was coming back and now he was being forced to face one of his worst nightmares.

"Ah, I see you remember me now." Luciano's smile returned. "I don't understand." Lovino whispered. "Who told you?" Luciano laughed that psychopathic laugh again, smile never fading. "Quite a mystery isn't it? I was confused too, when Sebastian came up to me and told me he had seen something. A vision was it? No, not at all. It was a memory. Someone else's memory. It took us awhile to figure out who, but we figured it out later.

"You see, it would seem that us, Two-Ps, as you would seem to refer, share memories with our One-Ps. It takes a very long time for us to receive each other's memories though, so they could easily be mistaken for something we have done in the past. Unless you know what it means. Our Spain received your Spain's memory of that day, which he shared with me. You were smart, Lovino, I admit." He began to walk back and forth, pacing somewhat.

"If it wasn't for this one little thing you may have gotten away with it. But I am a man of my word, as you can tell, and I have come to fulfill my promise I made. Even if it was fifty years ago."

* * *

Antonio tapped his pencil on the table impatiently. Lovino had been gone for how long, a half an hour or so? It may not have been too long but he was still worrying. With all the mayhem going on, who wouldn't be nervous? He needed to make sure that his friend was safe. He already wasn't sure about one Italian, he had to make sure that he didn't lose the other.

It seemed that his impatience was noticeable, as Ludwig eyed him before walking over to him. He asked what's wrong, in which Antonio replied he was simply worried. Ludwig nodded, understanding his worry. "Go find him, we need the extra hands anyway. There's way too much paperwork."

He barely got to finish his sentence before Antonio was out the door and rushing around the streets, trying to find his companion. That couldn't be too hard... right? Lovino wouldn't go too far, he'd either get bored or tired and head back. His questions though were, unfortunately, quickly answered when he turned the corner and bumped into someone. The two tumbled back into a wall and Antonio found himself facing Lovino. "Lovi!" He said, death hugging the other man who was unable to put up much of a fight.

"Get off me you bastard! If we don't keep moving then-" He couldn't finish his sentence as a knife was jabbed into the wooden wall right next to his head. "Consider that a warning idioti." Luciano hissed as he removed the small blade.

Lovino stumbled back farther as he tripped over his own words. "T-that's him." He stuttered, Antonio looked at him confused. Then he realized what he meant. It was so obvious after all.

"Luciano?" He asked. He always thought back to the story and the night that he was told, multiple times. He just wondered if it was true, or if it was simply an assassin that figured he would let his target suffer and took disguise. But Lovino had described his attacker in such great detail it seemed almost impossible.

"Sì." The violet eyed man smiled. "_And I'm here to kill you_."

* * *

Stupido = Stupid (Italian)

Buonasera = Good Evening (Italian)

Fratello = Brother (Italian)

Stronzo = Asshole (Italian)

Bastardo = Bastard (Italian)

Idioti = Idiots (Italian)

Sì = Yes (Italian)

**A/N: Ah yes, more history lessons. Decided to explain it in a flashback form rather than pure dialogue. I guess it worked. Poor Lovi~ Luciano won't leave him alone for shit. **

_**'Cause two can keep a secret if one of them is dead.**_


	11. Chapter 11: Smile

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

**Smile**

The struggle began, fight swerving into an alleyway, much to Luciano's advantage. No one could witness them being stabbed. Antonio faced off against the other alone, saying it was far too dangerous for Lovino to try and intervene. Luciano was in control, that's how it seemed at the least. But the fight turned around quickly. With minor aid from the other, Antonio overpowered the attacker and disarmed him.

The battle was somewhat easy, as he quickly learned the cause for this was due to the fact that Luciano was forced to use, what was assumed to be, his bad hand. The other was bandaged tight, small amounts of blood seeping through the wrap and becoming visible, as well as a couple of other minor wounds. Despite this, they didn't question it. They had a lead now, something that could help them. Especially after most of their previous research was trashed.

Through massive amounts of teamwork and sneakiness, Luciano was escorted back to the World Building without another word. Obviously, the two took the back streets to avoid the assumptions of kidnapping. They hauled Luciano in front of their designated room and threw open the door. Dragging him inside, all eyes fell upon them with plenty of questioning gazes and glares. "C-ciao." Lovino muttered between breaths. A brief minute of quick explanations was spouted out before everyone understood the situation relatively well. Alfred and Ludwig helped them tie Luciano to a chair, more than happy that someone managed to catch him.

But Ludwig saw this as also being suspicious and couldn't help but wonder. _Two appearances in the same day? It's barely been five hours since we last saw him..._ He thought of this as a possible ploy of some sort, but pushed the thought to the side as Luciano's chair was put in the center of the room.

His head began dipping forward, eyes closed. It was as if he had fallen unconscious. Antonio and Lovino shrugged, not really thinking they had done _that_ much damage to him. The group shuffled to another section of the room, debating on what to do next. "We should get information out of him, da?" Ivan said, smiling with his pipe in hand. Though it was a nice idea, they needed Luciano to be alive and comprehensible. "We should have a non-lethal interrogation." Arthur stated, eying the Russian. Majority won vote-wise and they decided that they would just see if they could get this guy to talk.

Yao went off to fetch Kiku since they figured, if anything, he would be able to help getting some information out of their prisoner. Despite the two missing they still began, compiling him with questions of all sorts. But, as they had expected, Luciano refused to answer any of them. Every so often he would glimpse in the direction of the door, and then back at the crowd around him. Arthur quickly took note of this, and questioned what he was going to do. It was nearly impossible for him to escape. His weapons had been confiscated, and even if he did manage to remove the ropes he wouldn't be able to fight through everybody. _What are you planning Luciano?_ Arthur wondered.

He looked around the room, scanning on all the faces. He frowned. They were all full of anger and agony. All of them, sad and disturbed. A pang of guilt erupted in his chest. It was his fault that they were all like this. He had brought these monsters into their world, their universe. He was the reason that Feliciano was suffering. He hadn't seen them all like this since... since 1939.

World War II.

That war was a dreadful one full of pain and suffering. It had torn apart friendships and families. Arthur considered himself lucky. His family was, if anything, one of the least affected. If anything, their bonds grew greatly and he felt much closer to his brothers. But others weren't as fortunate.

Yao was one of them. His family was nearly split in half thanks to his brother's betrayal. He remembered after the attack, Im Yong Soo had a major outburst, enraged and wanting to get revenge on his older brother. Mei had cried, her family was just about destroyed now. She always liked Kiku, and was glad that they were related, even if it wasn't blood wise. She looked up to him and cared for him, and what does he do?

He attacks their eldest brother. The others had been quiet, far too shocked or confused to have any major reactions. They couldn't believe that Kiku would attack the man that raised and cared for him when no one else would.

Ludwig was also hurt greatly. His older brother was torn away from him, stolen away by the Allies and, specifically, the Soviet Union. They couldn't see each other, they couldn't talk to each other, they couldn't even mention each other. Gilbert was gone, and no one could do anything about it. His country was abolished, became nothing more than a piece of history.

Alfred and Kiku's friendship was demolished as well. Though, they did become friends again afterwards, the bombing of Pearl Harbor as well as the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki tore holes in the fabric. They couldn't look each other in the eyes for a good couple of years, and it took just as long for their people to recover. But... the war was over and things changed drastically.

Arthur remembered it like it was yesterday.

_The taxi driver pulled to the side of the road and peered into the back seat. Arthur handed him the specific amount of USD and stepped out of the cab. He had been driven all the way from a nearby airport and stopped about a block away from his destination. It was the first World Meeting since the war had ended and everyone was excited. _

_The meeting was being held in New York City, it was time for everyone to see old friends and what not. They had all been focusing so much on repairing their own countries, that they hadn't taken the time to visit others. It was time to put the past behind them and get back to the ways things used to be, if that was even possible. Kiku would likely be shunned in the United States for a good bit of time, many never being forgiven for his actions. But it just didn't seem to make much sense to anyone, how could such a calm country do such a vulgar act? _

_So he began his walk down the street. He hadn't seen anyone else at the airport, but then again he had arrived early so he would be able to take his time to walk. He wanted to see the scenery, and see how his former brother was doing. When he had heard of the bombing he was devastated, and heavily worried along with the rest of the Allies. _

_But it seemed that it only increased Alfred's determination to finish it all, so the innocent lives and families wouldn't have to suffer anymore. So he had two bombs flown over Japan and dropped before anyone could stop him. That sure did it, and Kiku convinced his bosses that it was time to surrender and that they had lost. _

_When the news arrived that the surrender was official, everyone was ecstatic. The pain and misery of thousands of lives was over. The Nazis were gone, along with their leader and everyone was safe again. At least, as safe as they could get. Arthur continued down the road, humming to himself. He kept his head up, watching out for any fellow countries that may wander by. But then again, he heavily doubted it. Then he stopped in his feet, figuring he heard familiar voices. Not behind or in front of him, but to his side. He looked to his right, raising an eyebrow as he heard laughter not to far from where he stood. Across the street to be specific, at the park._

_Checking his watch quickly, he was glad to see that he was ten minutes ahead of schedule and this quick stop wouldn't harm him from being able to get there before most, if not all of the others. Crossing in an intersection, he walked into the park and scanned for anyone he knew. He could still hear the laughter, just couldn't locate its source. So he kept searching. Then he stopped abruptly. A few yards ahead of him was a sight that made him smile. _

_There they were, the former axis, sitting under a large oak tree. Kiku sat in the middle between the two, laughing and smiling with the rest. They were all bandaged up, a cloth was patched to Ludwig's cheek and a couple of teeth were knocked out. Feliciano had two crossing bandages on his forehead and on his nose. Kiku's forehead was wrapped tightly, as well as his arm. Despite their wounds, they were still smiling and sharing jokes with each other. It lightened Arthur's heart. _

_They didn't seem to notice him, too lost in their conversation to bid him any attention. Arthur shrugged it off and left, continuing and eventually arriving at the building._

_He stepped inside, and searched the halls. He had expected them to be barren, but instead caught glimpse of a familiar figure. His eyes lit up when he saw the retreating back of his friend. "Alfred!" He blindly called out, rushing up to him. The other turned around and smiled, waving a hand. Arthur slowed down as he neared him and spotted the other's arm. "Hey Artie!" He turned to fully face him. His right arm was wrapped in a cast and pressed up against his chest. Ignoring the nickname as well as he could, he continued. "How are you doing? Your country seems to be prospering... well." Alfred nodded. _

"_We're recovering quickly I suppose. I'm just glad that everyone's safe. That war really stressed out everybody." Arthur couldn't help but agree. "I hope everyone is able to fully recover. Friend or enemy, they are in the same predicament as the rest of us." Alfred's large smile turned to a small smirk. "War's finally over... thank goodness." He murmured. He didn't seem to be talking to anyone, and his gaze turned towards the carpeting. _

_"We can finally smile again."_

Arthur was snapped out of his thoughts by two arms shaking him furiously. "Arthur! Arthur are you okay?!" Alfred was behind it all, what a coincidence. Arthur pushed him away. "Get off of me you bloody git!" The other stepped back and gave the much required personal space. Arthur cleansed himself of the non existing dirt and realized that he must of zoned out, causing everyone to panic.

Yao had returned, hauling behind him a conscious but weakly dazed Kiku. "My apologizes. I seem to have been elsewhere." He muttered, assuring everyone that he was fine and that Luciano hadn't used some sort of "mind trick" on him. He sighed in disappointment that they would even consider that as a possibility but didn't comment.

Arthur sat down at the table and watched as the others continued their interrogation. Kiku sat quietly in the back, a bored expression on his face. He used another chair to support himself. He was still weak, despite the large amounts of sleep he had obtained. Talking of sleep, he was getting tired as well as the rest of the group. They had been up for far too long with little to no rest. If they kept this up, they wouldn't have enough energy to save Feliciano. Or themselves. Ludwig took a seat not too far from him, dark and heavy bags under his eyes. It would seem enough was enough.

Arthur stood again, interrupting the interrogation that wasn't getting anywhere. He cleared his throat to draw the attention of any stragglers before starting. "I think it's time that you all should get some sleep. You've been up for far too long. I'll stay up and watch our prisoner while everyone else sleeps. Whether you choose to go home or not is entirely up to you." He returned to his seat and waited for the other's replies. Most decided to go to their houses, since it would be best for them to clean up and sleep in a real bed.

The only that decided otherwise was Alfred, who wanted to stay and help keep watch. Kiku also decided the same, already wide awake anyways.

"Then it's settled. I'll see you again at sunrise tomorrow. Then we'll continue this... meeting." People quickly began piling out of the room, leaving the three to sit in their chairs and watch Luciano, who was more or less interested in it all. But once the hallway cleared of boots stomping against the floor, and the front door closed for the last time, a smile crept on him face. It was a devious one, and the fact that his violet eyes seemed to glow and make their appearance from under his bangs just added to the devious appearance.

For the first time since he had arrived, he sat up straight and tall. Despite the fact that his arms were restrained to his sides, he still was just as menacing. The three stared at him, confused and nervous at what his motivation may be. Luciano met the stares of each and everyone one of them for a split second before locking eyes with Kiku. The smile grew bigger, causing the other to shrink in his seat. "So, teste di merda."

"_Let's play_."

* * *

Teste Di Merda = Shit heads (Italian)

**A/N: Moar flashbacks. Hope it helped give you an idea of the emotional state that most of the countries were in during WWII. I haven't forgotten that there are a LOT more 1ps that I haven't talked about, and I plan to change that in the next few chapters. More characters, more mayhem, and more seductions for the win. c:**


	12. Chapter 12: Part of the Plan

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

**Part of the Plan**

_Tick Tock Tick Tock  
_The repetitive sound of the abnormally loud clock was all that was heard throughout the cell hallway. Luciano had left randomly again after dinner and hadn't returned. As a result, one person was sent to watch over Feliciano in case their counterparts got wisp of their location. Coincidentally, the person happened to be Jean who was more than irritated at the obnoxious ticking and the crying Italian. Though it had died down a bit after Andrew left, turning to small whimpers every here and there, the clock never seemed to seize ticking which just caused even more irritation.

So he sat there on the small wooden chair outside of the cell, smoking a cigarette without a fuck to give. He would've gone outside to do such a thing, since it would stop him from having to smell such a putrid odor, but he was given strict orders by a man wielding a katana to not leave that spot unless told otherwise.

Any other day he would of happily socked him in the jaw or land a good kick in the shin, maybe even the groin, but he wasn't in the mood to get into a brutal fight. No one was. They were all either tired or injured, not prepared to start a brawl. So he just took it and left without another word. He had to swallow all of his pride in order to do that. He despised Kuro, as most others did. He could easily be defined as an asshole or a bastard, as most of his family referred to him. Jean saw him as a rat, a pest. Something that no one wants but just keeps coming back.

Few liked him, Jean never meeting any personally. Though he would love to so he could slap some sense into their heads. But it wasn't a likely occurrence, this he knew. He also knew that the other reason Luciano kept him around was purely based on the fact that Kuro could fight. Not just fight, fight _good_.

That's not something everyone can say for themselves. Put together Kuro, Luciano, and Kasper were a group of killing machines that would take on anyone and everyone in order to win. But they weren't so lucky in World War II. Allan ended up sealing the deal at the end of that war, bombing Japan really did it.

Then peace was restored, but such a thing can only last for so long before someone decides that want to rip so-and-so's head off. Then their allies get in and before you know it they have another war on their hands. It was the sad truth yes, but it was the _only_ truth.

Jean broke away from his dreamland when he realized that the cries had completely stopped and the clock was the only thing making a noise. He wondered why they had actually kept that piece of crap. It had come with the shop, of which was abandoned after the previous owner was evicted. He decided, out of all of the things he could have left, to leave the stupid and obnoxious clock that no one would even use.

But what he considered even more sad was that they hadn't gotten rid of it yet. Listening to the constant ticking could drive anyone mad. "Tu vas bien italien_?_" Jean asked, trying to test Feliciano's French skills as well as making sure he didn't kill himself when he wasn't paying attention.

"O-oui, je vais bien_._" Feliciano's reply was shaky and full of sadness. It could've made Jean feel bad, if he actually cared. "Vous pouvez parler en français_?_" There was a moment of silence, Feliciano likely trying to process the question. "Oui un peu. My big brother Francis taught me." Jean smiled. It was nice knowing that Andrew and himself weren't the only ones that could speak French.

He had tried to teach Luciano when he was younger, but he outright refused to and was just now starting to pick up basic words. "Well that's nice to hear." He said, switching back to English since he knew it would be the easiest for the two to communicate. He stood up, dropping the bud of the cigarette to the ground and crushing it under his foot.

He walked over to the cell and knocked on the door. Something on the other side jumped before crawling over to it. Jean unlocked the hatch and pulled the heavy door open. Light flowed into the room and Feliciano was forced to shield his eyes. "I figured you'd might want to see the light for once." Feliciano stood up on weak legs and walked around a bit to get the blood flowing again.

They threw him in here right after dinner and, normally, he would have fallen asleep but he was just too scared to. He never really liked the dark in general, so being locked away in it made him nervous. But so did his counterpart. He was a psycho, as most if not all of the others were. It obvious the only reason they were keeping him alive was for the sake of their 'master plan'. If he wasn't alive then they couldn't control his friends. He sometimes wished he was dead though. He hated being alone, no one to talk to or hang out with, no one to share a good laugh with. It was boring and it made him feel unwanted.

Jean watched him slowly walk out into the hallway. Feliciano coughed a bit at the smoke that was lingering in the air, waving his hand around in an attempt to blow it away from him. But it just didn't seem to work. "Eh, Jean come in here!" Sebastian yelled. He looked over at Feliciano and shrugged, too lazy to force him back into the cell. "Follow me." He started down the hall without receiving any form of reply. Feliciano stood puzzled for a moment, before rushing to catch up.

They strolled back into the living quarters and joined with a group that was circling around the table. "What's going on?" Jean asked, no emotion in his tone. No one had to answer for him to realize what. A cell phone was placed on the table, Kasper's specifically, on speakerphone with an unfortunately familiar voice on the other end.

"Ah, ciao Jean."The other grunted as he pulled Feliciano along.

"Luciano." He stated bluntly.

"Aww, someone doesn't sound happy to hear from me~"

"What do you want Luciano?"

Jean hated him when he was like this. He preferred the mad Luciano, or even the psychopathic one over the nice and cheery, happy side if you will, of him. He reminded him too much of his brother, or his counterpart if anything. It disgusted him. And the fact that he was so bipolar, he could be cheery one moment then trying to rip your neck out the next. It was one of the reasons why, in the end, he was the leader of the Axis and the most dangerous enemy of others.

"I guess I should tell you, sì?" Just by the tone of his voice, they could easily tell he was smiling.

"It would seem that we have a minor... set back in our _operation_." Andrew lent forward a bit, palms on the table.

"What kind've a 'set back'?" Luciano laughed.

"Ah, you see. It would seem that I've been captured!" His voice was _far_ too cheery. How in the hell could he be so happy about something like this?

"What do you mean you've been captured baka!?" Kuro yelled at the phone, a death grip forming against the brim of the table.

"What I mean, idiota, is that I've been _captured_ by the _counterparts_ and they are holding me _hostage_." Sarcasm lingered in his voice, it was obvious, and only pissed Kuro off more.

"I swear to god when I get my damn hands on you-" He cut himself off, biting his bottom lip to stop himself from spiraling out into a series of Japanese curses. It was obvious that if he could he would of happily flipped the table in response to his built up anger. But the only problem was the fact that Kasper's phone was on it. Though it could be easily replaced, it would give Kasper an excuse to beat the crap out of Kuro. He had those muscles for a damn reason you know, and just about everyone knew that he would _love_ to use them on a certain someone.

"Kon'nichiwa Kuro-san."

Allan's hand jolted up and covered Feliciano's mouth, stopping him from saying a word. Koru looked up at the phone, and stared at it. The anger on his face subsided, his grip on the table disappearing. He stopped biting his bottom lip, which was now bleeding slightly. Everyone raised an eyebrow at his reacted, which was probably the least thing they expected. How the hell was his counterpart calming him down? It made things every more interesting than they already were.

"K-kon'nichiwa Kiku."

Kuro muttered, avoiding the eyes of the others who were either forcing back laughter or mildly confused. The two exchanged short words in Japanese, likely to lessen the amount of embarrassment for Kuro, since he would surely his this from just about everyone later. Once they finished Kasper bid farewell to Luciano before hanging up the cell phone. "We'll talk again later."

"Sì, tutto parte del piano."

* * *

Luciano had to beg them in order for Alfred to hand over his cell phone in order for him to dial an anonymous number. He refused to let them put the number in themselves, since he said they could possibly remember it and that would be bad for him later. So they hesitantly released the bindings just enough so he could remove a single arm and put in the number. It took three tries before the person on the other line finally decided to answer. Luciano had expected this since he was calling Kasper after all. And Kasper had a thing where he refused to answer numbers from random people, especially since he didn't want to end up on the same line with a telemarketer of some sort. Those guys were annoying after all.

So a good ten minutes later, after being annoyed immensely by the caller, he finally answered. The very last thing he expected however, was to hear Luciano on the other end. He was relieved since he had been a bit worried about his boss since it just wasn't like him to disappear out of the blue, at least during important missions such as this one. He grouped everyone together and then they talked.

Luciano was heavily annoyed by Kuro on the other end, who obviously didn't understand the current situation whatsoever. But he refused to burst out in complete anger in front of the three men holding him against his will, not that he disagreed with their actions. After the phone call ended they tied him back up but Luciano smiled. He knew exactly what effect Kiku had on Kuro, and he planned to use it to his advantage. Whether it was cruel on not, he couldn't really care. He wanted to make Kuro suffer and, in the end, he would.

But he didn't stop paying attention to those behind him. The three men were talking, discussing something. He knew that they didn't understand what he had said, but at least one of his companions was bound to. He couldn't hear much since their voices were hushed for the most part, but he could pick up a couple of sentences.

"-you two should go and take a break. You've been up longer than I have."

"Leave you here? With him?!"

"Kiku that's a crazy idea!"

"Just trust me. He can't fight me, he's far more injured and I have a weapon."

Silence. Followed by a sigh. "Fine, if you insist we'll go. Just down the road to the coffee shop though, and if anything happens call us." Alfred slipped on his jacket that he briefly took off and Arthur stepped off to the side. "Don't worry, I won't lay a hand on him." Luciano smiled as they began to leave, the shocked expressions on their faces proving to him that they didn't realize he was eavesdropping. "You better not." Alfred mumbled as the two departed.

Once Luciano was sure they were gone he began to speak to the other, who decided to sit behind him rather than in front. "So, what is the real reason you sent them away?" Kiku shifted uncomfortably behind him. "Was it that obvious?" He asked, still refusing to show himself. Luciano laughed half halfheartedly. "Yes, I figured you noticed."

"Apparently not." Luciano looked over his shoulder, trying to spot the smaller man but failing, his smile fading. "Why do you hide from me Kiku? I thought we were _friends_." More silence.

"My apologies for misleading you, Luciano-san, but I never considered us friends." Luciano leaned back in his chair, looking up at the roof, smirking. "Ah, you're so polite Kiku. I wish Kuro was more like you. Then maybe I'd reconsider putting his head on a stake." Kiku's eyes widened slightly. He was surprised that his voice could go from the cheery, happy go lucky Italian he knew and loved, to the voice of a killer, in mere seconds. The drastic change was both terrifying and amusing.

"Is that so.." Kiku muttered, finally deciding to show his face. He pulled a chair up to sit in front of Luciano, who finally decided to meet with the other's gaze. An unintentional stare down started, the two never losing eye contact. "So," Luciano began, still not breaking eye contact. "You want to learn more about Kuro?"

Kiku looked away, breaking the connection. Was he that easily readable? Being such an open book was out of character, for him at least. No one really figured him out as easily as this one had just done, and it scared him. He tried not to show it though, fighting off the one emotion he hated so much. Stay strong, stay calm.

"Hai." His voice was balanced, not too loud or too quiet, but it quivered. Luciano's smirk grew to a smile, it was his turn to be in control of this imbecile. "Well, what would you like to know?" Silence again, and it was starting to irritate Luciano. But he figured he should have seen it coming. If Kuro was loud mouthed with a _colorful vocabulary_, then Kiku would probably be the shy and quiet type. "Did... you change him?" Luciano's smile faded away and was replaced with a serious expression. "What do you mean change him?"

"I know that he was always... power hungry. And that he was always wanting to control everyone. But it was never so bad. Not before World War II. Yes, he ruined my relationship with my brother, but I prefer to see it as setting a boundary. Yao-san was also trying to get into my business, protecting me if anything. I tried to explain to him that I wasn't a child anymore, that I could take care of myself. He just... wouldn't listen and Kuro-kun acted upon it."

Luciano was interested now. He hadn't really heard this story, specifically because Kuro told him to stay out of it and that it wasn't his business.

"But then World War II happened. And... it was like I wasn't talking to the same person. He changed so much, and I never found out why. I had-" Kiku stopped, it was almost as if continuing was too hard for him. "I had to banish him, I had to _kill_ him in order to stop him. When I did, I thought he was gone for good. I thought that I wouldn't see him again. But then, out of the blue this news about Two-Ps pops up. I didn't believe it at first, I didn't want to. I didn't want to have to go through the same thing that panned out in 1945.

"I don't know where else I might find answers to this. You're the only source I have, and I don't even know if I can trust you in the first place. But, I just need to know something. Anything, that could help me understand what happened."

Luciano smiled, he could_ easily _manipulate Kiku at this rate. He was weak mentally, broken down into pieces and scattered across the ground. This obviously wasn't a state that he was used to being in thanks to the clearly noticeable shaking. "Of course I'll tell you what you want to know. But first, I have a question for you." Kiku raised his head and gave the other a questioning look. The smile on his face just pointed towards a devious plan that he was bound to be creating. "Are you really trying to save Feliciano?" The question caught him off guard, his eyes showed that he was confused.

"Of course I am." Luciano's smile faded away, replaced with a serious glare.

"You are? Really? Because you seem more interested in Kuro than your so called companion."

Luciano hissed, his anger seeming to come from out of nowhere.

"So Kiku, what is it? Are you really trying to help Feliciano out, or are you still Kuro's_ little boy toy_?"

He spat. His words stung the other greatly. Yes, he wanted to save Feliciano. He wanted this to be all over with. But he also wanted to know the truth, something he had been missing for so many years. "Either way." Luciano began, his voice cheery once more and cruel demeanor disappearing.

"I still think you're plan is relatively good, just a few kinks here and there. Of course it can't go out to it's fullest without a bit of my help." Plan? What plan? The Asian man wondered, pondering on the topic. Almost as if he could sense the disturbance, Luciano answered his non existent question. "The plan you told me earlier. Don't you remember? I know old men have poor memory but sheesh, I didn't expect it to be this bad." Kiku raised an eyebrow at how straightforward the other was being. "Why don't you revamp my memory, Luciano-kun?" Kiku hesitantly asked, wanting to know what was going on.

The Italian sighed. "Your plan was simple yet... suitable enough for the situation. It was tactical, interestingly enough, and consisted of three teams infiltrating wherever your friend was being held. But since you don't know that location yet, the plan was still undergoing some.. bugs. So on and so forth, communications and whatnot were worked out. All and all, it was still durable and fairly simple. I still don't know how you could of forgotten it. After all, it was _your_ plan." Kiku didn't know whether or not it was truly his plan, but in the end it wouldn't work without knowing Feliciano's location. "Which I'll be more than happily to provide."

It took him a moment to realize that Luciano had been talking the entire time he was lost in thoughts. He sighed in relief, knowing that this lunatic couldn't literally read his mind. "If I may ask, why would you?" Luciano sat there for a moment, staring up at the ceiling and wondering the same thing as well.

"I guess... I'm just getting tired of this damn dimension. I want to go home..." He muttered the last part, but it was loud enough for Kiku to understand what he had said. "Anyway~" Luciano clapped his hands together as best he could, despite the bindings. "If you want to find Feliciano, he'll be at the end of a deserted road known as _Dahlgren Drive_. Take that all the way down until you see an abandoned warehouse. He'll be in there and I'll be sure that my... associates are long gone before you get there." He finished his sentence off with a goofy grin.

Before Kiku could of even think about thanking the other, the door to the room burst open and in fell a familiar American. He toppled onto the ground, face first, and laid there for a moment before perching his head up. Arthur jumped into the room, seeming just as panicked as Alfred, before realizing what the situation was and straightening up.

"See, I told you there was nothing to worry about." Arthur cleared his throat in an attempt to hide how awkward that was. Alfred got back onto his feet and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey, you were worrying too!" He protested. Arthur nodded. "Of course I was, we left him alone in a room with a psychopathic maniac. Who wouldn't be?"

Kiku stood from his spot and calmly walked over to the two. "Alfred-san, Arthur-san, I have good news." The two traded glances before turning their attention back to Kiku. "What is it?" Alfred asked, trying to hold back his excitement. He allows loved news. "I have a... location. Where Feliciano is supposed to be. And a plan that will help us infiltrate it.. safely." The two blondes smiled. "Really? How did you get him to talk?" Arthur blurted out without thinking. Kiku shrugged. "I guess he just trusts me more." While they spoke Luciano's smile widened.

_You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into, Kiku~_

* * *

Tu vas bien italien = You okay Italian (French)

Oui, je vais bien = Yes, I'm fine (French)

Vous pouvez parler en français = You can speak French (French)

Oui un peu = Yes a little (French)

Idiota = Idiot (Italian)

Sì = Yes (Italian)

Kon'nichiwa = Hello (Japanese)

Sì, tutto parte del = Yes, it's all part of the plan (Italian)

Hai = Yes (Japanese)

**A/N: **

****Evil Laughter**

**I can't wait~**


	13. Chapter 13: Let's Get Ready to Rumble

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN **

**Let's Get Ready to Rumble**

Oliver skipped ahead of the others, being jolly as usual and ignoring the complaints coming from Allan. It would seem that none of them were extremely excited for the task ahead of them. They were unwillingly volunteered to go and rescue Luciano from their counterparts, a role everyone else refused to take. So there they were, walking down the barren streets as quietly as they could. It was cold outside, so few were around. This worked out perfectly for them, since they didn't want to draw any attention to themselves. They had departed later than expected, it was barely four in the morning when they left and it would be five soon. They needed to get in and get out before sunrise, the nightfall providing them much needed stealth.

The only reason they left so late was purely out of the fact that no one wanted to go out of their way to rescue Luciano. After bickering, yelling, and threatening repetitively Andrew finally settled it that he would go with the rest of his 'family'. Though Allan hated that idea greatly, he reluctantly joined in when Oliver dragged him along.

But he didn't seem to stop cursing for most of the trip, something that Oliver had grown to ignore, with Andrew and Jean not being as lucky. The three were 'talking' to each other, trying their best to keep their voices lowered. They needed to have the element of surprise which, for the most part, they already gained.

The plan, though it had been developed on the spot, was to simply divide up into two teams and enter the World Building via separate entrances. They would then search their section of the building, until discovering Luciano's location, all along the way they were to eliminate or subdue any enemies they encounter. Once Luciano was found, the teams would regroup and escort him out. If everything went as planned, then they should be in and out before sunrise, on schedule. But that's only if the plan were to work out. Otherwise they would have to wing it, which is likely what they would do in the end.

The World Building was just around the corner, giving them barely enough time to make last minute changes and agreements. Oliver and Allan were to go in through the back, Jean and Andrew through the front. Jean would wait behind with Andrew until they knew the two others were in.

Oliver and Allan were going in as distractions to hold off anyone wandering the hallways, Jean and Andrew were the extraction team. Their job was to get in and out with Luciano, taking down anyone in their way. But all and all, it was really just down to which team found him first.

The four stopped next to a bush and quickly ducked down. They were right in front of the World Building. Trying to avoid being under rays of light, Oliver and Allan rush off towards the back without warning. Their backs disappeared before anyone could stop them, forcing the other two to simply hope they make it there okay and wait.

Allan stopped abruptly, causing Oliver to softly collide with the other's back. "You should go first." He said in a hushed voice. Oliver peered in front of him and saw that the shadow of someone was visible in the window. "You're smaller than me, you have a better chance of sneaking through than I do. And if they see you, I'll be there to back you up." Understanding his reasons, Oliver nodded and then zipped past him towards the door.

Stopping a few feet from it, he peaked through the small window near the top of it to see if there really was anyone in the hall. To his surprise, the hall was barren. Empty. But he would've sworn he had seen someone inside before, as did Allan.

He figured it a play on his mind and opened the door, stepping inside quietly. Whether or not they're on the move, there _is _someone. No one would simply leave Luciano on his own, if they did they were truly mad. Creeping around corners, Oliver peaked into every room he passed. For the most part they were worthless, taking the appearance of offices or storage rooms.

If Luciano was locked in one of those, he couldn't tell. Moving on and on, he stopped in front of the men's restroom. He sat there and thought for a moment, should he _really _waste his time checking the stalls?

But it would seem that he didn't have much time to think it over as a figure opened the bathroom door without warning. Oliver jumped back, barely avoiding the heavy door, but quickly wishing he had hidden instead. The figure that had nearly knocked Oliver unconscious with the rim of the bathroom door turned to the left to see what the commotion was.

Their heart nearly skipped a beat when they found themselves face to face with the cupcake maniac. Neither of them moved, just stared at each other eye-to-eye without a word. Oliver didn't know what to do or how to react, since he wasn't used to situations as awkward as this. He had blown his cover in the worst possible way he could have.

The other stared at him, an over sized eyebrow twitching slightly. Arthur knew _exactly_ who this guy was. He was a Two-P. _His_ Two-P. Someone he didn't expect to run into outside of a public restroom. Though, he probably should've expected such a thing. Allowing Luciano a chance to speak on the phone was probably one of their biggest mistakes yet. Their enemies knew their location, where he was held, and that he wasn't dead. Not that they would kill him in general, but it would've at least put them on the edge.

Arthur needed to get rid of this guy, fast. He was his counterpart, so he wouldn't die in this case. But he would be able to get rid of him, one less to worry about. Without a sense of hesitation, Arthur reached for the holster at his hip. He had brought his gun along with him after receiving the call from Ludwig the previous day.

He didn't know if he would need it, he _hoped_ he wouldn't need it. But, as they always say, it's better to be safe than sorry. And in this case, it was true. Arthur didn't know the full extent of his opposite's power. All he could assume was that he was just as dangerous as the rest of them, and needed to be dealt with swiftly and efficiently.

He gripped the end of his pistol and pulled it out, raising it to the other's head. Oliver had no time to react, barely even realizing what the movement meant. All he could do was close his eyes and wait for the sound of the gun to go off.

_But it didn't_

Instead, Arthur felt something heavy slam into his right arm, the one that gripped the pistol. It fell from his hand as his body collided with the wall, crushed between two objects, one of which was undefined. Arthur slid down the wall and onto the floor as the attacker stepped back.

"You okay Oliver?" Allan asked, a small bit of worry lingering in his tone. "Yup!" The other replied jollily. The two looked down at Arthur who was already recovering from the attack. "Bloody hell..." He muttered, shaking his head slightly to get rid of the dizziness he was encountering. When he looked up he felt his stomach churn.

There was _another_ Two-P. And this one just so happened to resemble Alfred. Which, unfortunately for Arthur, meant he was likely just as strong. The look-alike smiled as he revealed a spike baseball bat, the tip stained with dried blood. "Time to play."

* * *

Alfred and Kiku had both heard the collision in the hallways and both jumped up in synchronization. "I'll go check it out. You stay here." Alfred had said, rushing off without gaining any form of reply. This left Kiku standing there, a near emotionless face but worry noted in his eyes. He heard laughter behind him and shut his eyes.

Luciano knew what was going on, which just seemed to make their situation even worse than before. "Looks like they're here~" He said in a sing-song tone. It angered Kiku but he refused to show it. He couldn't. Kiku reached for his sheathe that was placed on the table rather than at his hip. He leaned over towards it once it was within inches of his fingers, and he gripped it tightly.

He hoped he wouldn't have to fight, he was still recovering from the previous fight from Kuro, but he had to protect himself and the others if it came down to such a thing. He didn't want to end up as such a burden, he didn't want Arthur and Alfred to have to go out of their way to make sure he doesn't get hurt. He couldn't be dead weight. He refused to be. The door opened again, and Kiku turned around, hoping to see the two returning without any signs of alarm going off. But the odds just weren't on his side.

The Frenchmen stepped into the room, welding a rapier in his dominant hand and eyeing the Japanese man guarding the hostage. "I told you little Kiku~" Luciano said, playfulness in his voice as he swung his legs around in the air for no particular reason. Jean looked between the two, first at Luciano and then Kiku.

"_This _is Kiku?" He said, pointing the sword in the other man's general direction. Luciano nodded.

"Sì, isn't he cute?" A faint blush appeared on Kiku's cheeks and Jean rolled his eyes. There was the Luciano he hated so much. He was glad it was only a ploy and didn't mean anything literal, but he could always make it seem like it did. For the worse of the Italian himself, of course.

"I don't have time to chat, so let's get this over with." Jean said, getting into a defensive stance, Kiku following suit and readying himself with his katana. Luciano leaned back in the chair, the two front legs just barely lifting off of the ground. He was given a front row seat to a show, and he wasn't about to let it go to waste.

* * *

Alfred had blindly rushed out into the hallway, not even taking a moment to note his surroundings. He just turned to his right, searching for Arthur. He had wandered off towards the bathroom, which is where he'd likely be. Alfred just hoped he was safe. He bolted down the hallway to the source of the sound and sure enough, there he was.

Arthur, but he was fighting two figures that were shockingly familiar. Alfred had to bite back a surprised yelp when he saw their faces. They were _them_. Their counterparts, someone he had hoped to avoid till the very end. They were fighting Arthur mercilessly, one with a knife and the other a nailed bat.

Alfred had to help him, even if he wasn't able to take both of them on he would at least lift a load from Arthur's shoulders. But he couldn't reach him, he wasn't given the chance. A hockey stick banged into the wall next to his head, causing Alfred to tumble forward, out of both reaction and attempt to avoid any blows. After regaining his footing completely, he turned to face his opponent.

His heart skipped a beat as he realized who decided to pick a fight with him. They were tall with broad shoulders, long blonde hair, and wore the uniform of a Mountie aided with heavily tinted shades. Their weapon of choice; a hockey stick with barbed wire wrapped around the end.

It didn't take a genius to figure out who this guy was. Alfred's best guess, his brother's counterpart. And this guy was huge, a good couple of inches taller than himself. Alfred didn't know how he was expected to take him on, but he couldn't step down now. He was the _hero _after all. And heroes don't give up. But a major downfall was purely the fact that he didn't seem to have a weapon. He didn't bother to bring one, specifically because he didn't expect to encounter anyone so quickly after arriving.

He knew he would have to trust his conscious and hope his reaction time hadn't died down over the past couple of years, though he doubted it. The attacker lowered the hockey stick slightly and peered at him behind his sunglasses.

"Whatcha name kid?" He asked blandly. Alfred, being rather insulted by the fact that he had been demoted a couple of age groups, replied back quickly.

"Hey, I'm not a kid! Who the heck are you?!" The Canadian snickered, entertained. He slumped the stick over his shoulder.

"Sure... and I asked you first bub." Alfred sighed, how could this guy _not _know him?

"I'm Alfred, Alfred F. Jones. I'm the-"

"Hero, I'd assume?" He cut off the 'hero' after having a relatively good guess in mind. Alfred stared at him, confusion obvious.

"How do you know if you didn't even know my name?" The other shrugged, not really caring to explain his brother's obsession with being the bad guy.

"My brother over there," He said, pointing over Alfred's shoulder. "is the self-proclaimed villain. Putting two and two together, it made sense in the end."

Alfred thought over the whole thing and figured it did seem to be logical enough.

"I'm Andrew Williams just so ya know. Guess we might as well know before we rip each other's heads off. ." Alfred nodded and then raised his fists. It would seem that was all he had for this fight, at least until he figured something else out. And he didn't want to kill Andrew since, if Arthur's theory was true, then that would also kill his brother. He couldn't allow that to happen. Aside from the fact that they were brothers after all, Matthew's Cuban friend would probably try and beat the crap out of Alfred.

Alfred made the terrible mistake of leading his mind elsewhere, being oblivious to his attacker. Andrew noticed this and sighed disapprovingly. It would seem that this moron wasn't taking the fight serious enough, or is just extremely absent-minded. Not wanting to waste this advantage, Andrew gripped his hockey stick and raised it behind his head.

He brought it down, the sound of it cutting through the air breaking Alfred out of his mindless trance and back to reality. He dodged to the side just in time, the bottom of the stick bouncing off of the ground via impact.

"Nice try." Alfred said, a smile on his face. "But you can't beat the hero that easily!" Andrew smiled. This guy seemed to be overestimating himself by a lot, acting as if this would be a simple walk in the park for him. But he didn't realize the ride he was in for.

* * *

The sound of clashing steel echoed against the walls in the room as Kiku fought back Jean. Kiku had to admit, he was strong, skilled, and persistent. A good warrior for sure, and he only wished he could compare it to his universe's version of France.

The two had never really fought before, at least sword-by-sword. This was an interesting experience, and he might of appreciated it if he wasn't fighting for his life. Jean knew he was hurt, after all, and was using that to his own advantage.

As the two continued to collide with steel, Luciano watched from the sidelines, a serious look on his face. He was examining them, scanning their every movements and figuring out their fighting techniques. He didn't know if he would need to use this knowledge in the future, but he would prefer to have it now than later. As he watched he pointed out multiple weaknesses and strengths each of them had in their current conditions. Kiku was swift and fast, but he found it hard to avoid multiple repetitive attacks in succession, such as the series of jabs Jean often erupted with at certain points in time.

As for Jean, he wasn't as fast but he was just as efficient. He made sure that every strike counted, even if they didn't meet their mark. But he had a major blind spot. It seemed attacks that occurred to the left of him he reacted slower to, he couldn't see as well on that side as he did the other. Luciano didn't recall ever knowing that before hand, and he made sure to create a mental note, just in case that came in handy for one of his companions.

Luciano ducked down as a piece of debris flew above his head. He cursed as he realized he was within range of any objects they ran into. So far they had managed to tip over one of the cabinets, a couple of vases, and a lamp. It was only so long until they started throwing objects on purpose, purely to either tick him off or hurt him 'accidentally'. It was bound to happen, it was just a matter of being prepared for it that Luciano might not be able to accomplish. He needed to get out of these damn bindings.

They were restraining his movement and stopping him from getting his hands on Kiku. Though he did like Kiku a lot more than he liked Kuro, he seemed to be the only thing that Luciano could use to manipulate his enemy.

To torment him.

He was sure that if Kuro saw Kiku suffering then he would snap under everything. Kuro was supposed to be his_ guardian_, and by doing that it would seem that every oath he took and every promise he made would be broken in mere seconds.

Luciano smiled at the thought of it, but broke away once he ducked under another flying object. This time it was a book, which there were plenty of. And he knew that someone had thrown that, for sure. He just didn't know who.

He would of questioned it if he cared enough to. They probably wouldn't listen to him anyway. They were too heated in their battle.

Luciano began to tug on the bindings. The knot was at his back and the ropes were tight, but if he can just barely slip one of his arms out, then he might be able to reach it. Or a weapon.

The fools hadn't patted him down that well, he wore thick clothes for a reason. He always had a knife, hidden away and out of sight. They had confiscated a couple previously, but those weren't the ones he cared enough about. The one he did, his good knife, was hidden at the bottom of his boot, under his foot, tapped to the base so it couldn't be taken out without reaching inside. And doing so would likely result in yourself behing cut.

Luciano tugged and pulled, trying to free one of his arms or loosen the ropes. He was happy when he felt his arm move a bit more freely. His left arm started to push up a bit, slowly being freed. Luciano realized the struggle he would endure trying to completely free it, but he was willing to go through it if he meant that he would be able to jump into the fight as well.

His blood lust was increasing after all.

* * *

Alfred found himself in an intense fight not long afterwards. This guy was big, tough, and faster than he expected. This put him at a great disadvantage, but he still refused to give up. He needed to make sure that he did his part so the others were able to do theirs. So he fought with his bare fists, recalling the moves he learned in all of those boxing classes he used to attend in his free time. That was before he got a bit more into mixed martial arts, courtesy of Yao and Kiku. Those were both pieces of his past that he won't soon forget and he knew would help him greatly.

Alfred got into a fighting stance, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He needed to match the strength and speed of his opponent in order to have a fair enough chance, weapon or no weapon.

He needed to be smart.

Andrew swung his hockey stick horizontally across. The attack reached far, but not far enough. Alfred quickly stepped back, his hand reached out and grazing the very back of the stick, but avoiding the barbed wire. With one quick push he forced it to hit the wall with a heavy impact. That, catching his opponent off balanced, allowed Alfred to dash forward and land a quick jab-cross combo, before dashing back and out of range of any counters.

Andrew didn't see this attack coming but recovered quickly, this guy seemed to know how to stand his ground, so he 'ought to as well. But then he realized something and stepped back, removing himself from the defensive stance he was in. "You know what, let's make this more interesting." He said with a smirk. Alfred eyed him suspiciously, stopping the bounce he had been in to watch his opponent.

Andrew threw his hockey stick to the side and unbuttoned his jacket. Underneath was a red and black plaid button-up shirt. "We might as well have a fair fight eh?" He asked as he dropped his jacket next to his hockey stick.

Alfred smiled. This guy seemed a lot more fair than the Two-Ps he had encountered, which allowed his amount of respect for him to increase greatly. "Sure, let's do this." He said, smiling. Andrew held a fist out, Alfred quickly bumping it. He felt like he was in a boxing match, fighting against one of the strongest opponent out there. But it was a fair match, one where the two respected each other with an equal amount and wanted to do it right. They wanted the best man to win. But unlike most matches, this one had no rules and no referee to call time when enough damage is done. This was simply, beat the other guy into Oblivion or die trying.

The two started circling each other, never removing their eyes from the others but never advancing either. It wasn't until Andrew decided to make the first move. He jolted forward without warning and started it off with a quick reversed punch, it's target, his jaw. Alfred saw it at the last moment and reacted as required.

He brought up his two arms, connecting them together and blocking the attack just in time. His eyes peered over the walls he created to see that Andrew had backed off. Alfred lowered the guard and got ready to fight back.

A quick faked jab forced Andrew to bring up his hand, likely to evade and counter. Alfred smiled, he already realized this guy's tactics. He was all about attacking, getting them open and attacking. He wanted to dominate this match no matter what, stick Alfred in the defensive and then strike when he expects it least. Alfred couldn't allow this to happen. He needed to be aggressive as well, if he planned to stick around for much longer.

Stopping the bounce and sticking his stance, he lent forward and jabbed, but it was also another fake. One of which Andrew fell for. He raised his left arm, preparing to push the jab away. One that never came. His abdomen was left open, which is exactly what Alfred wanted.

Finding it a valid target, he quickly reacted to the small opening he was given. A powerful punch landed there, forcing Andrew back slightly. But Alfred didn't let up, he continued pounding in that one area. Andrew attempted to block but when he did Alfred would raise his attacks to his face, then back to his stomach, in repetitive succession. It wasn't until Alfred found himself lost in the moment that he fell victim to his own tricks.

While being attacked in his stomach area, Andrew raised his right arm and committed a powerful hook. It struck the side of the American's head, catching him off guard completely and sending him spiraling into the wall.

He banged into it and unintentionally fell forward. Andrew continued attacking, aiming specifically for the head. Alfred blocked left and right, eventually bringing up his arms, to avoid attacks that seemed to never stop coming. He lowered his head behind the wall, stopping him from seeing most things but also causing the least amount of damage.

Andrew smiled. Now he was the one in control. And Alfred and done the only thing Andrew wanted him to do. With one swift movement, Andrew brought down his right arm low to the ground, then brought it back up in one powerful uppercut.

Alfred's head snapped back and blood spurted from his nose. and down his face. He fell back, glasses landing next to him as he hit the floor with a thump. He cursed under his breath, no way he could simply recover from a blow like that. So he laid there, thinking about what he had just done. He literally allowed the exact thing he said he wouldn't allow to happen, happen. He was a fool, and ended up waiting for the final blow to finally come and kill him.

But it didn't come.

"Good fight." Andrew said, kneeling in front of him. "I won't kill you. Simply because you were a worthy opponent, one that rightfully deserves a rematch. I'll be looking forward to one." With that he stood up and walked over to his jacket and hockey stick, leaving a dazed and confused American behind in the dust.

* * *

The fight started soon after. Arthur dodged both blunt and sharpened weapons at the same time. It was hard to do but he managed. He needed to get to his pistol, and fast. Who knows how long he will be able to hold them off. He did take note that Alfred had tried to help him, probably to amp up his hero reputation a bit more.

But it turned out he got sidetracked by an opponent of his own, leaving Arthur to face two without help. He could always go to Kiku, but he couldn't force him into another fight. He wouldn't. Kiku had enough problems on hand, he didn't want to give him more.

Arthur ducked down from another strike from the bat welding menace. The tip crashes into the wall, chips of paint flying off and the darker wood being exposed behind it. There was power behind each and every one of those strikes, adding to the Arthur's list of good reasons why he shouldn't get in the way of that weapon and it's target, unless that target happens to be himself. Then he has all right to avoid it and save his hide.

And then of course there was his Two-P. The one that decided to bring a knife with him. And despite his nice and cheery personality, he was a true psychopath.

But he was also cunning and quick. He knew how to use that knife of his, and he knew how to use it right. He never went for vital organs, he always went after his legs. Likely to slow him down so him or his partner can have the final blow and he would be one less worry for them. But, if his concept was true, then that means his Two-P would die as well.

Something they likely don't know or understand yet. He could, possibly, explain it to them. Maybe it would make them reconsider their attack. Or push on even harder than before, he didn't know how many people held grudges against his other self. Arthur's opposite jabbed the knife again, aiming for his lower thigh or knee. One or the other, it didn't matter to Arthur. He had a bit of an idea, though it was risky, it might work if he reacted at the right moment and moved at the right time. If he did, he would finally have the upper hand.

At the very last second, Arthur sidesteps the attack. As he expected, his opponent had put large amounts of force behind the thrust, as Arthur had moved at the very last possible moment. The strawberry blonde stepped forward to stop himself from tumbling, but this is exactly what Arthur wanted.

He reached out and grabbed the wrist that held the knife in it. Holding onto it tight, he jumped behind the other's back and brought the arm with him. Without letting go he used his other arm and placed it on the square of his back. He forced the other forward while pulling the other arm back, completing the armlock in a painful manner.

The American stopped in his tracks, eyes widening as he realized the full extent of the situation. Oliver was in a painful situation with their enemy, their opponent. He didn't know how to get him out in the less painful way. He hated it when Oliver got hurt, though he could be annoying and rather clingy, he still hated to see the poor guy in pain.

Instinctively, Allan lowered his weapon and glared at Arthur, eyes full of hatred. "Alright you bastard, I'll back down." He said through gritted teeth, lowering the bloodied and bent weapon towards the ground. "Drop it." Arthur ordered, increasing the deepness of the lock. Oliver cried out a bit, eyes shut tight. His arm felt like it would outright fall off, something he didn't want to fall victim to.

The sudden scream was enough for Allan to throw the weapon to his right and then to step back. He raised both of his hands up as he stepped back a good couple of feet, and then fell onto his knees. His hands were placed behind him as if he was waiting to be handcuffed.

Half convinced, Arthur loosened the arm just enough so his current hostage could at least walk. He pushed Oliver forward, who shuffled his feet across the ground. He bent down and picked the knife off of the ground. It had fallen from the other's grip without his notice, but it didn't matter. He was armed and his Two-P wasn't.

* * *

Luciano didn't know how in the hell he managed to pull his arm out, it just happened. He got that sucker free and took off his boot. After momentarily struggling, he grabbed his knife and began to cut the ropes. Kiku was oblivious to all of this, likely because Jean kept him distracted.

The Frenchmen refused to let up. His attacks continued on and on, Kiku seeming to never catch up on the blind spot that he had. This helped Jean out greatly, since he quickly noticed his. Kiku was often backed into walls, ducking out of the way of the jabbed attacks that left holes in the wood and wallpaper.

"Stand still damn it!" Jean yelled as he struck diagonally once more, in a quick attempt to try to take out one of his ankles. Kiku quickly recovered and began walking back, making sure to avoid the attack and to not remove his eyes from his enemy. Jean stood there, puzzling Kiku. _Why is he refusing to charge me like he always does? Is he growing tired?_ He questioned silently. But then he realized why Jean was keeping his distance. Kiku found himself backing into a solid object.

One that placed a knife to his neck. Kiku let out a surprised yelp as the cold steel grazed his skin. "Look what I caught." Luciano purred, pulling Kiku's head back harshly by his hair. The other bit his lip to stop himself from crying out in any form. Luciano didn't waste much time playing around, instead kicking out his legs and forcing him onto his knees. He quickly gripped the Katana in his free hand and pushed it to the side, Jean grabbing it off of the ground. "What should we do with him?" Luciano asked, heavily interested.

Jean eyed the Italian suspiciously. "I know what you're thinking Luciano, and I don't like it. I have another idea, follow me." Luciano frowned as he pulled Kiku onto his feet. He would love to have his way with 'defenseless little Kiku' but business was business. And he was supposed to be getting the hell out of there ASAP.

Jean lead them into the hallways, where two fights were taking place separately. Jean forced Kiku forward and onto his knees again, whistling to draw everyone's attention. Alfred, who was halfway up to standing, blood seeping out of his nose. Arthur, who still had Oliver in a painful armlock as well as Andrew in mid surrender and Allan in full surrender.

"Let him go Arthur." Luciano hissed, pressing the knife against Kiku's vital vein.

Alfred nearly jumped up, and he likely would have if he still wasn't dazed. Instead he fell onto the wall, using it as a type of support. "You bastards..." He muttered, knowing that it was half his fault for leaving Luciano in the first place. Arthur dropped the armlock, Oliver tumbling forward onto the floor. Allan hastily helped him to his feet, before stepping back.

"We'll be leaving now."Jean quickly added, motioning for Allan, Andrew, and Oliver to join the two others. They nodded and began to make their way over there. But before they did Allan made a daring move. He grabbed Arthur's pistol, which he had picked up off of the floor when he got onto his knees, part of the reason why his hands were hidden behind his back, and raised it high.

Without even bothering to aim, he pulled the trigger and a bullet flew through the air.

Arthur didn't have time to escape the path of the flying projectile. Instead, it found itself inside of his shoulder, causing him to cry out and stumble back out of surprise, gripping his shoulder in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding. Alfred and Kiku yelled as they realized what had happened, giving the group a chance to escape.

But then they realized they were far past their scheduled time. The sun had already risen and the other nations were already returning. First was the German, followed a talkative Spaniard, then a bored Chinese man and a cheery Russian. When they saw the sight that had unfolded in the hallway, they all rushed over to apprehend the Two-Ps and aid the wounded.

But the Two-Ps were much, much faster. And were out the backdoor before they could get close. So there was the rest of the scene, Kiku was shocked and trying to help Arthur, who was bleeding all over the floor and slowly losing consciousness, and a guilty American, who saw this as being all his fault.

* * *

**A/N: Holy mother of god this chapter is the longest yet! Roughly 6,000 words all put together into one piece of crap. I apologize profusely for the often POV changes. I hate doing that in chapters but I found it necessary for me to get this story running. I wanted to do a crapton of fight scenes which I at least accomplished, to a certain extent. I hope you guys enjoyed this since it was a bitch to write. I rewrote the beginning at least three times since I didn't like it. Glad I did I suppose. I'll try to upload again since I'm on spring break but who knows. I'm only human =..='  
**


	14. Chapter 14: The Ambush: Part 1

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN **

**The Ambush: Part 1**

Lanzo sat up on his mattress and rubbed his eyes. He looked around the room, it seemed that most were still asleep.

After the rescue team departed, most had gone downstairs to sleep. He was first to the basement, quickly slipping into his pajamas before anyone could walk in on him. He wore a long, white t-shirt and some plaid sweatpants. Overall he felt comfortable and not exposed, since he didn't trust half the people in the room. Specifically Leonardo, who always seemed to be creeping around in the middle of the night.

After that he got under his thin covers and found himself venturing into dreamland without a bit of notice. Lanzo couldn't recall which ones stayed up, but he assumed everyone got a decent amount of sleep. Stretching briefly, he stood up and walked to the staircase. He climbed it slowly and went directly over to the bathroom. Turning on the lights that flicked every so often, Lanzo stared at himself in the mirror and sighed.

He averted his gaze from the mirror to the sink itself. He turned on the ice cold water and washed his face. He needed to wake up so he wouldn't end up seeing things again.

He washed away any junk he had in his eyes before shutting off the water. Step one done. Next he gripped the sleeve of his left arm and pulled slowly it up, metal being revealed at the same rate. Underneath was a robotic arm, with the mechanics and everything all still in tact. Lanzo let out a sigh of relief, this old thing was always breaking down, but it seemed to be working as it was designed to for once.

He got it after his left arm had to be amputated, another effect of the dissolution. It was terrible and he thought he just wouldn't be able to use that half of his body anymore. Then one of the doctors recommended a prototype arm. It was robotic and still under testing, but if he was willing to pay a little extra for it to be installed, it could improve his life by a ton.

Since he knew he didn't have anything to lose, Lanzo took up on the offer and got it installed. And that thing sure had it's fair share of glitches and bugs. Sometimes it was like he had some muscle spasm issues. The arm would do whatever it wanted in it's own merry way and sometimes screw things up completely. Or fix things, whatever it felt like doing. Other times it would actually work like it was built to and help him in his life. The arm was supposed to give him inhuman strength, in that limb at least, and he had ended up with increased grip strength, muscle strength, and lack of feeling.

That was an upside when it came to pain, but it was always weird, since the arm felt like it was always numb and could sometimes be hard to coordinate. But Lanzo learned to deal with it since he wasn't going to pay for it to be removed, there was just no point in it. It was simply a matter of adapting and mastering the control of it. If that was even possible.

"Up a bit early don't you think?"

Lanzo jumped from his spot, tensed and startled. He turned over towards the door and quickly settled down. His shoulders dropped when he saw Kuro standing there in his sleepwear. He was wearing nothing more than a black t-shirt and some shorts. The lack of coverage on his arms exposed the tons and tons of tattoo designs that cover both.

"Yeah, I couldn't fall back to sleep." Lanzo mumbled, turning back to the mirror. Kuro was one of the few people he wasn't exactly ashamed to show his scars to. They had a strong bond, a friendship, specifically because Kuro fought long and hard to protect Lanzo and his country when Kasper aided the rebellion groups during World War II. Though he obviously failed to do so in the end, Lanzo had great respect for him, even if most didn't.

And as far as he knew, their friendship was secretive. No one knew about it, and he wasn't sure if he wanted anyone to know about it. It just seemed better the way it was already.

"Hey, why are you up so early?" Lanzo asked, watching Kuro in the mirror.

"You woke me up." He muttered, peering into the hallway.

"My apologies." He sighed, pulling his sleeve back down. The room was suddenly awkwardly silent, not a common occurrence with Kuro in presence.

"Something... wrong?" Lanzo asked, but turned around to find Kuro gone. Curious, he stepped into the hall and followed in the direction he suspected he had gone. Finding out that it was right after all, he ended up in the living room that was now filled with people. "Rescue team's back." Kuro said, less than happily. He rubbed his forehead in irritation and motioned to the group in front of him.

Luciano pushed through, tumbling into Kuro and the both nearly fall over. "Get off of me chikan!" Kuro snapped, pushing the Italian away from him.

"You're the pervertito here Kuro!" It was half the truth.

"And I don't have time for this! We have to hurry up, round up the others and let's get moving. I gave our One-Ps a fake location where Feliciano is supposed to be. We need to go there and set up an ambush before they arrive! Allan already shot one of them and Andrew beat the crap out of the American, so we shouldn't have too much trouble. But if we don't hurry we won't get there in time." Andrew and Allan had already gone off to wake the others, and Jean was rummaging through a duffel bag. Oliver seemed to disappear on his own.

"Who's going to stay behind and watch this place? The last thing we want is some weirdo breaking in while we're gone and figuring us out." Kuro asked, his tone bored. Before Luciano could even think of replying, someone behind them spoke up.

"I'll stay behind." Lanzo blurted out blindly. The two turned to look at him. "You sure?" Lanzo nodded with haste, not wanting to have to fight the One-Ps and also wanting to get some things done while he was alone. "Alright. I don't really care." Luciano said with a shrug, before turning to Kuro to discuss strategies.

Lanzo, feeling awkward just standing there, found himself looking around the room for anything that can draw away his attention. Jean began to motion with a wave for him to come over to the duffel bag.

Making sure that Jean wasn't trying to get anyone else's attention and was specifically telling him to come over, he did as asked. Jean stood up tall and zipped up the bag before Lanzo could see what was inside. Lanzo stood there, confused but didn't bother to ask questions. Jean spoke in a hushed voice.

"What do you think Kuro would do if he found out someone had certain... plans for his friend, Kiku?"  
"His One-P?"  
"Yes."  
Lanzo thought for a moment. After arriving in this dimension, Lanzo had learned a bit about Kuro's past. Specifically, things having to do with Kiku. From what Lanzo could tell, Kuro was his previous guardian before tempers flared and the two were separated via wars and bloodshed. But it still seemed like Kuro felt like his 'protector' and would do whatever he had in order to make sure that Kiku continued to be out of harm's way.

"I'd assume... whomever this person is would likely be murdered." Lanzo replied in a whisper, this probably wouldn't be the best thing to discuss while in the same room as Kuro. "Why do you ask?" Jean peered over Lanzo's shoulder, making sure that the two others hadn't caught wisp of their conversation and lent forward once convinced.

"Luciano's been acting strange around Kiku lately. At first I thought he was just faking it to make the poor fellow feel... uncomfortable. But I think he has dark intentions behind that damn smile of his. If Kuro finds out what he did at the World Building, Luciano's a dead man." Lanzo could smell the smoke lingering in Jean's breath, but tried best to ignore it.

"What exactly did he do during your 'rescue mission' that could be considered so foul that Kuro would just about snap after learning about it?" Jean was about to tell when suddenly a group of people came upstairs. Viktor, Jian, Kasper, Sebastian, and Leonardo all stumbled into the living room, most already prepared to go to the ambush. Jean sighed unhappily and stood up straight again.

"I'll tell you later." He muttered, grabbing the duffle bag and pulling it onto his shoulder. He walked over to Andrew, leaving Lanzo with nothing but questions and worries.

* * *

After the Two-Ps had fled, Arthur was immediately ushered to the infirmary, Alfred and Kiku leading him there while the others checked the rest of the damage. The Two-Ps left their mark for the second time, and the place was twice as bad as it had been before. Ludwig was extremely angry that they had once again lost a chance to capture Two-Ps, and the one that they actually did manage to capture escaped.

He had silently let out a series of German curses without letting anyone else notice. And now, just to add to the madness, Arthur had been shot and Alfred had a broken nose. Kiku seemed unharmed for the most part, if anything he was just a bit shocked.

Yao officially announced that the World Meeting room wouldn't be accessible for a good while, and would have to undergo thousands of dollars worth of repairs before it could used again. The room had holes all within the walls, wallpaper was torn and exposed the wood behind it, which was also slashed. The floor had a couple of giant holes in it thanks to the cabinets basically being thrown down onto them, and it would seem that some of the glass possessions had been smashed. All in all, it was a mess. Yao also said that they would have to hold their base of operations elsewhere, since it obviously wasn't safe anymore and their enemies knew of their position. For the most part, everyone agreed and it was only a matter of figuring out where.

. . .

Meanwhile, Kiku conversed with Alfred and Arthur as he wrapped both of their wounds, Alfred's being the easier of the two. Though, Kiku didn't have an X-ray of the bone fractures, and he was pretty much winging it, the fix would work temporarily.

And, for the most part, Arthur was all patched up. His shoulder was wrapped and the bleeding had seized. Though it wasn't exactly the most professional bandages, and the bandaging wasn't the best it could be, it still did it's job. Yet the pain didn't stop, and intensified whenever he moved that limb specifically. Plus, painkillers can only do so much and last for so long. Once they wear off, the strikes of pain return and Arthur finds himself struggling to move.

Alfred was the one that decided it would be best if they did something to distract Arthur from his throbbing shoulder. Their decision, simply having a conversation. Though it was meant to be one filled with cheeriness (provided specifically by Alfred himself), it ended up to be one talking about their failed attempts to fend back the Two-Ps.

"The two fellows I fought were bloody tough to beat, and even then I didn't exactly beat them. I at least learned that Alfred's Two-P seems to care a large amount about my own. The second I had mine hostage, he immediately surrendered. Especially when he saw I was hurting him. But it seemed it also fueled his rage a good bit... as you can see by my shoulder. The second he was given a chance, truce or not, he struck me down.

"So yes, maybe getting control of my Two-P did stop the fight, but it also had great consequences, ones I didn't exactly expect." Alfred nodded, seeing that him and his Two-P at least had some similarities. Though he might not of exactly tried to kill someone during peace times, he would of tried greatly to protect his friends, even if surrender was needed.

"But they were both skilled aside from that. Al's Two-P used a nailed bat. It was stained with blood at the tip, so I'd imagine it's not the first time he used it. Mine used a knife... I don't know where it went after I was shot. I had it in my hand, so it must of dropped. But my Two-P used it wisely I suppose. He knew where to aim, where it counted. Maybe not the vital shots, but if he was able to actually stick a shot, then I would of been a sitting duck. Otherwise, it was his attempts to do so that lead to his downfall."The others in the room nodded, Kiku handing Arthur a steaming cup of tea as he did.

It wasn't exactly his favorite brand, but the heat was soothing. And that's exactly what he needed. They sat there in silence, Kiku and Arthur drank their tea while, despite the Brit's protests, Alfred drank a cup of coffee. It seemed that he didn't really need the caffeine, but refused to drink anything else. He was tired, they all were. They stayed up all night to watch a hostage that still managed to escape. And now they were sitting in the infirmary, not even sure if they'll wake up the next day, and just hoping that their mistakes won't be ones to haunt them in the future.

Then Alfred and Kiku both saw Arthur's less than noticeable wincing as he took a sip from his tea, and knew they needed to continue.

"Luciano-kun is a very sneaky one, I should of realized this before and acted as required. But instead, I was so distracted by my fight that I failed to do so. Francis-san's Two-P is an excellent sword fighter. Though, not as tough as Kuro-kun, he was still a worthy opponent. He noticed my weak points relatively quickly, and used them to his best abilities. I'd assume his fighting style differs slightly from Francis-san's, if Two-Ps are as similar as they seem, then I believe that he might share some similarities with our France. Kuro-kun and I do, even if it is only one or two things.

"As for Luciano-kun, as I said before, he is very sneaky. Sneaky, yet intelligent. Somehow, he managed to get a hold of a weapon. A knife to be specific. I'd assume he had it on him already, since I don't recall anyone else having anything similar to it. Either way, he cut free from his bindings and caught me when I least expected it. I couldn't of done much else to change what had happened. Though... I don't think that Luciano-kun would kill me since he made no action to do so, but I'm not sure how long that notion will last. I apologize for letting my guard down at a very inconvenient moment in time... and I hope that it will not happen again."His head bowed downward, staring at the teacup in his palm.

Alfred placed a comforting hand on Kiku's shoulder, which he found to be shaking.

"It's not only your fault Kiku. We _all_ made mistakes this time. I fought my brother's Two-P. He told me his name, Andrew. The guy, if you didn't get a chance to see him, was huge. Terrifyingly huge. But he was also fair, and respectful. I trusted him. At least, enough so I wouldn't think that he would be the one to backstab me. I'm starting to think that... that was my mistake. I trusted him too much, saw him as too much of someone I just couldn't come to kill. I saw him as... my brother.

"Yes, Matthew and I wrestled together when we were younger and more adventurous. But we never really tried to _kill_ each other. And that's what it was like when Andrew and I fought. I couldn't risk possibly killing the guy. I couldn't lose it like I did before..." He gained questioningly glares from the other two in the room, and he knew it was time to tell them to truth. He needed to tell someone, anyone really. It was something that had been trapped in his mind, fighting to escape but never getting the chance. Now it had one, and it wasn't going to give it up.

"You see... it started happening during the Cold War. World War II was finally over, making America and Russia both superpowers. Russia wanted to spread communism, while America was heavily against it. It only made sense, in the end, that the superpowers would end up in a war. They both had economic and political differences that were just waiting for an explosive outcome. So, I enrolled in the United States army, leading my troops head first into battle, Ivan doing the same thing on the other side. He was fighting for his country, we both were. It only made sense that we would, being personifications after all.

"We didn't really see each other for the first bits of it. A majority of it was psychological warfare, proxy wars. Trying to squash each other in the space race, and trying to get countries to side with us. The first time I was actually sent out into battle was during the Korean war.

"The UN Security Council sent me in with my men, to back up South Korea and keep back the Soviets. I would of arrived sooner, if it wasn't for my... injury." He tried to avoid looking at Kiku, since he didn't want to see the expression on his face. "Anyway, I remember what happened like it was yesterday, unfortunately. My men and I were outnumbered greatly. Reinforcements were hours away, and we were running out of ammunition.

"So, what did I do? I decided to be the damn hero.

"I told my men to hike it up the hill and out of enemy sights while I stayed behind. I needed to hold them off long enough. Long enough so my men could get to safety and return home like they should. Return to their familes.

"But it seemed that some of them had the same idea as me. Two volunteered to stay behind. I didn't want them to, but I couldn't persuade them otherwise. Time was against us, so we had to fight. The three of us helped the other soldiers squeeze out of their tight escape route, and then turned back to fight. We had limited ammo, limited supplies, but wanted to, no- _needed_ to last for as long as possible.

"I don't know how long the battle went on. Three Soviet squads wandered in, bullets were flying and bodies were dropping. The fact that I didn't lose any of the two men I had with me is a miracle. But I wish I had. It would of saved them the misery.

"We got flanked and brutalized. They busted through the doors and beat us down. We got tied up, gagged, and dragged all the way back to Soviet HQ. They wanted to get any information we had on them. Something none of us were willing to give, that's how we're trained. These guys, they didn't know I was a personification. But Ivan did. He knew and that's what scared me.

"So, what did they do? They decided they wanted to try to make me break. They tortured my two men and then me. I didn't spill anything, and it just made them want to kill me even more...

"But then Ivan had a suggestion. I don't know what it was, but he had a plan. He wanted to bring out the monster inside of me and, in the end, he did. They drugged me, knocked me out, and then poisoned me. It wasn't stuff lethal to myself, being a country. But it just pissed me off. And that's what he wanted. That's what the bastard wanted. Ivan kept testing me, screwing with my head. And I just lost it. I fucking snapped.

"I murdered just about everybody in that room. All the scientists, all the soldiers. I would of gotten my hands on Ivan too if I could of found him, the coward. I broke out on my own, fled Russia. About a week later, a British squadron found me. I had changed so much after that, but I thought I was safe, I thought nothing like that would happen again.

"But it did.

"And it happens when I don't want it to. If I ever get into a fight, verbal or physical, sometimes I'll just have these... random outbursts. Moments of complete pent up rage just erupting and I lose it. I try to kill everything and everyone around me, friend or foe. And that's what I'm scared of happening again.

"When I fought Andrew, I didn't want that to happen. I knew if it did then I'd kill him, my brother. I might of even killed Arthur and myself. I couldn't let that happen, I couldn't risk it. So I tried so goddamn hard to make sure that I kept my head. But I tried too hard. I didn't fight like I should have. I stuck hits yes, I pushed him back and I used everything I was ever taught against him.

"But the strikes had no power behind them. If anything, they were just taps. Tons and tons of taps that did nothing but make me look bad. And then he overpowered me, got me pretty good. Busted up my nose. He promised me a rematch, but who knows if I'll ever get one. He probably only said that because he felt sorry for me. Being a sad excuse for a country." He stopped talking and took a breath, calming himself down. He needed to stay calm and get everything he needed to get out, out.

"I hid this bit of a secret from you guys for so long. I guess... it would of made sense to warn my friends and family. I should have. But it's... hard. Dealing with that and trying to focus on life. It's a major struggle for myself. And I didn't want you guys to have to deal with it too... I'm sorry." The last part was mumbled, Alfred was uncomfortable when it came to talking about such a topic.

Arthur and Kiku were both surprised by the fact that he actually decided to curse. He didn't do it often, and seemed to avoid it as much as possible. It might of been to protect his reputation, or ended up being something he just didn't have a habit of slipping into conversations. Unless he was mad of course.

"Like you said Al, we all made mistakes. And we learn from them. And I think this... talk was fairly educational. I'm glad the three of us were given a chance to sit down and finally able to have a friendly conversation. We got things off of our chests and now can trust each other just a bit more." Arthur said with a smile, but it seemed slightly pained.

"Hai, I agree." Kiku said, nodding. Alfred smiled, it was as if a group of weights was lifted from his shoulders and he was relieved of the stress they caused him for so long.

He felt free again.

* * *

Luciano seemed to have everything planned out ahead of time. He had sent Sebastian and Leonardo off to fetch someone he said played a major part in the plot, and would need to be secured and brought back alive.

The two probably should of guessed exactly who it was, simply by the address they were given. But being oblivious as always, neither had taken notice of it. They just walked and walked and walked. It wasn't until they were across the street from the destroyed Vargas residence that Sebastian facepalmed and Leonardo awkwardly laughed at his own stupidity.

"I guess we should've figure that out sooner. You know, since it's the address same as my house?" Leonardo said, staring down at the crumpled up piece of paper.

"Don't remind me." Sebastian said with a grunt, walking across the street without a fuck to give. Leonardo followed him, barely managing to catch up with the Spaniard.

"So, that means we're going to snatch the other one too? How does Luciano even know that he's here?" Leonardo shrugged.

"I guess fratello just knows things~" He said with a smug look on his face. Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"You Italians are so troublesome." He muttered, stepping up to the door.

"I thought we tore this place apart..." Sebastian said, taking note of the house's current condition. It looked a lot better on the outside than he remembered it being at the end of their last visit. Unless the Italian was some magical being, it seemed nearly impossible for him to rebuild a majority of it within a few hours. Then again, he didn't know what to expect of these counterparts.

He couldn't see through the small window on the door, and the windows were closed shut. He had no way of actually knowing if their target was home, and was stuck with simply hoping that this wasn't a failed cause.

"How are we going to get in?" Leonardo asked, trying the doorknob but finding out that it was locked.

"Could you have chosen a less obvious entrance?" Sebastian asked disapprovingly. Leonardo just smiled.

"You never know, I don't even remember if the lock was still working when we left." He followed Sebastian as he walked around the side of the house. "Any ideas?" He asked, watching Sebastian as he trailed fingers across the wall.

"What are you doing?" Leonardo looked at the wall, and then his fingers.

"Trying to find a weak spot." He replied, not looking at Leonardo.

"Weak... spot?"

"I'm going to try and break in. I don't want to hang around here for too long. Who knows what'll happen if we do. So, I'm going to get in the easiest way possible. There's bound to be a broken up part somewhere, I just have to find it..." Leonardo wasn't exactly sure how to reply to that, so he simply continued to follow his companion as he circled the house. He wasn't exactly sure how Sebastian was able to differ the strength of walls simply by touching him, but he didn't question. He was simply a man of many mysteries.

Sebastian hoped that no neighbors would question some man walking around a house, tracing the wood with his hand while a random, blonde Italian pranced around without a care in the world. He would consider it an odd sight, if he wasn't used to it by now.

Sebastian felt a sudden change in wall texture, finding it softer than all the rest. He smiled, it was exactly what he was looking for. Without the slightest hint or warning, he struck a punch square in the wall. As he expected, his hand flew through it with ease and chunks of old wood and paint chips flew into the air. Leonardo jumped back at the sound of the impact, but calmed down once he realized what was going on.

"Warn me next time!" He said, but his smile said otherwise. Sebastian gave a less than interested _hmph_ and went back to beating the crap out of the wall, the resident inside falling from their place of rest and scrambling to their feet.

"What the hell!?" Lovino blurted out, rubbing his sore head. He had stayed up all night trying to tidy up the house (with some assistance from Antonio, before he was kicked out) and had finally fallen asleep when he seemed to have been woken up not much later. _Is someone trying to break in?!_ Lovino thought, slightly panicked but trying to redeem his composure.

If someone was trying to break in, they wouldn't get very far.

Slipping a hand under his torn up mattress, Lovino felt around for his prized revolver. He always kept it at hand, since he had problems trusting people his brother considered 'allies'.

When his hand refused to touch the cold metal, Lovino's heart began to pump faster as the banging noise grew louder and his worry increased. Eventually giving up on the blind search, Lovino stood up and pushed the mattress over. When he found the firearm missing from it's original location, the Italian forced himself to bite back an angered outburst.

"If those fucking bastards stole my gun," He said through gritted teeth, though that seemed to have little impact on the volume of his voice. "I swear to god..."

Lovino suddenly jumped at the realization that the pounding stopped and the house was uncomfortably quiet. Little did he know, Sebastian had smashed his way through the wall, allowing the two of them easy access to the inside. The two spoke in hushed voices, not wanting to chance anything. Luckily, their sheer silence allowed them to hear their target upstairs, raging at something they didn't know about.

"Looks like he's home~" Leonardo said, his smile growing bigger. Sebastian, not in the mood to sit through anymore of the Italian's bullshit and simply wanting to get out of there as soon as possible, immediately went for the staircase.

The two walked up the stairs, their steps light and their noise production minimal. They could hear Lovino searching his room for the weapon that he desperately needed but was unable to find. He found himself making the fatal error of placing his back to the door, Leonardo and Sebastian slowly opening it to find the Italian rummaging through his drawer.

The two smiled and slowly walked up behind him. Sebastian pulled out a wire, given courtesy of his teammate, and Leonardo pulled out a revolver. Specifically, the one Lovino seemed to be searching hastily for. He happened to pick it up during their last 'visit'. Lovino didn't know of the other's presence until the wire was wrapped around his neck and he found himself fighting for air. He clawed at it, trying to loosen it or remove it altogether, but having little to no success.

He heard laughter behind him in a familiar voice that sent shivers down his spine and made him attempt to turn his head to see the source. When the end of the revolver came into view he froze in spot, face turning pale.

"Ciao altro mi." Leonardo said with his signature smile. Lovino struggled against the wire around his neck, but found that it only tightened more.

"I wouldn't struggle if I were you. Who knows what might happen to your fratello if Luciano finds out~"

Lovino stopped moving completely and sent a death glare in his counterpart's direction. But it didn't last long as the constraint on his neck tightened even more, his head feeling ten times more light headed than it was beforehand. Without warning, a knee struck Lovino in the chest, all of the air in him being forced out and his face changed colors. Consciousness slipped away from him in sheer seconds, giving him no time to stop himself from collapsing onto the ground.

"Lights out~"

* * *

Chikan = Pervert (Japanese)

Pervertito = Pervert (Italian)

Altro mi = Other me (Italian)

**A/N: Yes this is going to be a freakin long section of the story. I'm not sure whether it will be two parts or three, but I'm going to bet on three since there's a lot of crap I want to fit into the sequence. Hopefully I will be able to fit everything in that I want to fit in with little to no problems. **

**I quickly want to thank _Gunzi's Poochy _for bringing Alfred's super strength up. It was a topic I planned to cover in later chapters but it gave me something to write about in this one. This took a bit of time to make, plus I'm working on another Hetalia AMV so that's a bit time consuming as well. **

**Also since I didn't really receive any complaints talking about the POV switches last time I decided I might as well try again, though it was used a bit differently this time and I hope it worked out just as well. I'll try to update soon and often since this is a parted chapter but I can't promise anything since the chapters seem to be getting increasingly longer, this one being over 5,000 words. **

**I used a bit of headcanons in this chapter, though I'm too lazy to point them out right now, if you have any that you'd like to share with me there's a chance that they could be used in future chapters. I can't promise anything for sure (Since, obviously, they have to be logical enough to myself), but if I do use them I will credit you via the pen name you have when I choose to use them.  
**


	15. Chapter 15: The Ambush: Part 2

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN **

**The Ambush: Part 2**

Ludwig brought everyone into the hallway of the World Building. Finding the meeting room unusable, he decided to make a short compromise in order to find out what they knew and what they needed to do. Kiku and Alfred ushered Arthur into the hall and found themselves standing next to each other in a circle like formation. There was a quick questioning of "Where's Lovino?" of which Antonio quickly replied that he had been up most of the previous night trying to fix up his house, and fell asleep just before sunrise.

With that settled, Ludwig planned to continue. But instead Kiku butted in, apologizing for the interruption, but stating it was necessary.

"When I spoke with Luciano-san he gave me a... location that he claims Feliciano-kun is being held. I don't know if this is true but at this point in time it's the only thing we have." He quickly shared the location, being told that it was at the end of a road known as Dahlgren Drive, where a building would be found. He also shared that Luciano claimed it would be empty, but no one truly believed that.

"We'll need all the help we can get at this rate. This could be a trap, whether we like it or not. How many people are still in the country?"

Most shrugged, no one knew. As far as they could tell, they were the only ones that had stayed behind to find Feliciano; the rest going home without knowing the weight of his disappearance.

"Hey, I think Mattie's still in town. I don't remember seeing him go to the World Meeting but, if anything I can call him and he'll fly out. He'll know how urgent our situation is!" Alfred stated proudly. Well there was one more person that could help.

"I could try to get bruder to come but he's been avoiding me for the last couple of days. Claims to be working on a project but I don't know with him anymore." Ludwig said with a sigh.

"As much as I'd hate to, I'll see if the frog is still sticking around. He might be of some use in this situation." Arthur huffed. They sat there for a moment and tried to figure out who actually came to the World Meeting and who flew home afterwards. They ended up crossing just about everybody on the list out and were suddenly engulfed with a wave of worry.

With them now they had seven, two injured and one still recovering. They had a chance of getting three more people within the day, giving them ten. If they could stop by Lovino's house as well they could also bring him along. But even then, was that enough to stop their Two-Ps? Could they really take down these monsters?

Arthur, Alfred, and Ludwig all pulled out their phones and called their relatives and frenemies for assistance. Kiku explained 'his' plan to the others while they waited and, for the most part, agreed. Then they decided that they would pick groups once everyone they needed arrived.. This was a dangerous plan, and the fact that Feliciano might not even be there in the end added to the doubt.

. . .

Ludwig called up his brother twice. The first time it went to voicemail, Ludwig quickly leaving a message to pick up the phone (Thanks to knowing that Gilbert hadn't left the house) before trying again. The second time it rang three times and Ludwig was prepared to stop the call and try again, when the phone suddenly picked up.

"Hey West! Uh, can you keep this conversation short and to the point? I really need to get back to my project..." His voice faded out on the other end, giving Ludwig cue to continue.

"Listen Gilbert, this is important. We think we might know where Feliciano is but we can't be sure. Just to be safe we're trying to get as many people as we possibly can to come with us. Do you think you could show up?" There was no reply for a few seconds, Ludwig thinking that his older brother was simply ignoring him, before a quick answer came.

"Can't, working on an important project."

Ludwig was just about done with the constant excuse of this so called 'project' that he refused to show whatsoever, and whenever asked about it he claimed it was top secret and refused to share. As far as Ludwig knew, his brother was building an atomic bomb in his basement. A thought he didn't exactly like but couldn't stop thinking about. Without another word or sincere goodbye, the other line cut off and Ludwig was stuck with hearing the annoying buzzing noise in his ear.

. . .

Alfred had no trouble getting in contact with his twin like brother. He was on speed dial after all, though the number wasn't called as often as others, it gave Alfred easy access to a phone number that he could use whenever he simply wanted to talk to someone. Though this conversation would be under different circumstances this time, Alfred still enjoyed to have a chat with his brother. The phone picked up within a few seconds and he found a small and quiet voice on the other side.

"Al? Why are you calling so early? You do realize I'm right next door, right? You could just walk over without a problem."

Alfred laughed a bit awkwardly, scratching the back of his head as he tried to remember why he was calling. It took him a second to realize and he quickly blurted out "Oh!", nearly dropping the phone in the process. He caught it barely and brought it back to his ear.

"Oh right, listen Matt. I know it's random and abrupt but this is really major okay! You remember Feliciano right? I'm sure you've seen each other a couple of times but that doesn't matter right now. The poor guy's been kidnapped and now we have a lead on where he might be! The only problem is that it's risky and we're really trying to get as many people as possible and-" Alfred continued on, but most after that was just gibberish as he was talking far too fast for the Canadian on the other end of the line to understand.

But he still waited patiently for his brother to finish up before actually deciding to answer.

"Well, I guess if it's as important as you claim it to be then I'll head over.." Alfred quickly replied, overly enjoyed.

"Thanks bro! We're at the World Meeting place! But it's a bit wrecked at the moment... so I'm not really sure how long we'll stay. I'll see you soon! " With a quick farewell the phone hung up and Matthew immediately went over to his closest, Kumajiro following close behind. He needed to hurry up, since he wanted to avoid a good twenty or so voicemails from his brother, each one growing more and more panicked. It's just something he didn't want to have to sit through.

. . .

Arthur hated having to call Francis. He hated the Frenchman in general, despised him greatly, but still found himself trusting him to watch his back; despite their terrible past. They were, at one point, allies. And no matter how much he hated it, he raised Matthew. Alfred's brother. Whether he liked it or not, they were family.

Or at least as close to family as they would ever get.

He didn't even remember getting his phone number in the first place. Though, it did make sense that it happened to be under the one contacts list with a rather inappropriate name, one he would probably never say while sober and never admit to setting up as the title for any list of any sort.

The phone picked up immediately and the thick accent was all Arthur needed to know exactly who he was talking to. "Bonjour this Francis, who has decided to call the wonderful moi so early in the morning?" Arthur let out an aggravated sigh and bit back an insult he would likely let out otherwise. "Frog, it's Arthur."

"Arthur?! Why are you calling me? Even I need my beauté sleep!" Arthur bit his lip. He was far too tired and in too much pain to deal with this. But he needed to be as straight forward as possible.

"Francis I don't _care_ what issues you happen to be dealing with at this point in time. I'm going through much more right now and am _not_ in the mood to deal with your bullshit. Feliciano's captor has claimed to give up his location and we need everyone we can get to come with us. We can't trust these guys, no matter how much we'd like to. So, I've decided to give you a damn choice. Get off your lazy arse and show up here so we can save the one man that looks up to you as a big brother, or you can stay behind and hope he doesn't die." The other end of the line fell silent, Francis was quite shocked from this outburst.

Though it wasn't exactly uncommon, it was often over matters he considered less serious and, in some cases, humorous.

"Oui, I see the... situation. I'll be there in ten." The line cut off and Arthur let out a breath he seemed to have been holding in. The pressure in his chest that had been built up finally released and brought him a bit more comfort. He was glad he got all of that out in a few well spent sentences, and now just had to hope Francis wouldn't go back on his word.

And what did he know, a good ten minutes later, Francis and Matthew arrived at just about the same time. The two had been pulled into the group with the others. Now that they had everyone they needed, groups could be quickly discussed. Names were created and people were divided up.

Team Alpha consisted of Alfred, Arthur, and Kiku.

Team Beta consisted of Ludwig, Matthew, and Antonio.

Team Crimson, the final group, had Yao, Ivan, and Francis.

Alfred managed to look up the address for Dahlgren Drive on his phone, and found out that it was about three hours away. The drive would be long, time consuming, and likely full of arguing. They agreed that they would take Alfred's black Cadillac Escalade and hope for the best. It, at the least, had a DVD player and they would have just enough room to fit everyone. But it would likely be a tight squeeze if they wanted to manage all nine people in one car.

They set up the GPS with the address and got into the car. Ludwig decided he would drive, since he didn't trust anyone else to. Antonio sat in the other seat and Matthew sat in the center with Kumajiro.

Behind them sat Ivan, Yao, and Francis.

And in the very back was Alfred, Kiku, and Arthur. They had decided to make it where Francis and Arthur couldn't see one another, that would hopefully stop them from trying to murder each other. "Do we still have time to pick up Lovi?" Antonio asked as they finally got onto the road.

"Nein. His house in the other direction of where we're going, and it's already going to be late when we get to our destination. If we go to get him it'll be much later than we want it to be. He'll be safer at home anyway." Antonio, after thinking it over a moment, found himself agreeing and dropping the topic.

"Might as well get comfy while you still can. It's going to be a long drive..." Ludwig said, followed by a sigh. Matthew nodded as Ivan tinkered with the DVD player. They didn't really know what movies Alfred had stowed away in the back seat, but it seemed that anything would do. He wasn't surprised when he found a box full of suspenseful and sometimes violent horror movies such as_ Alien_, _The Exorcist_, and even _Dracula_. But near the very bottom was a few Star Wars and Indiana Jones DVDs, along with a couple of copies of the original _Batman _movies.

Ivan, not in the mood to listen to the American freak out behind him, decided to to put in a copy of _Raiders of the Lost Ark_, and hope for the best. As Ludwig had said, it was going to be a long drive.

* * *

Sebastian and Leonardo returned with an unconscious and air deprived Lovino slung over the Spaniard's shoulder. "It's about damn time." Allan muttered restlessly. Everyone was fully dressed by now and ready to get a move on.

They had resorted to throwing knives at a target, though it was a typical game, often played by the Axis on less productive days; it was quite uncommon for the Allies to be in the same room while a game was in action. This was likely the cause for why Kuro's jugular vein was nearly ripped open by someone's renegade knife, Jian being an obvious suspect thanks to the smug look on his face. Kuro was a second away from putting him into a violent headlock when Sebastian and Leonardo returned, saving Jian unintentionally.

While they were gone Kasper and Andrew had taken the time to hijack a car, since it would seem they would greatly need one.

Coincidentally, it happened to be a white van often stereotyped to be used in kidnappings and forced sexual activities. Though they had only been culprits in one of the two crimes, a few wouldn't mind committing the other. The van was parked behind the building, and they had also decided to quickly switch the plates so no wandering police officer could identify it easily. Luciano stood up and clapped his hands together.

"Alright, time to get working. We don't have much time thanks to this... last minute decision. So we need to up and recover from this drawback_. _Rapido~"

And then they were off. Sebastian and Leonardo along with a bit of rope, some duct tape and a black bag constrained, disguised, and threw Lovino into the back of the van. They were quickly accompanied by Feliciano, also bound with a pair of handcuffs but no more. He was extremely confused. And worried.

The last few times he had been taken out of his hellhole he was either frightened or shocked. Sometimes both. And he wasn't sure if this would be any different. The very fact that they were escorting and seating him in a vehicle was another nerve racking moment. What were the planning to do? Where were they taking him?

Questions piled up with no obvious answer to any of them.

He decided he might as well calm his nerves and take a look around. The van was rather big. It had four seats up front instead of simply two, and a large trunk-like area. That's where Feliciano and the hooded, unconscious man were located. He couldn't help but wonder who the maniacs and decided to pull along into their evil schemes.

Sebastian and Leonardo sat in the back with them, watching intently while trying to converse with each other. But it was hard and often ended with silence, which Feliciano found himself preferring much more than to hear his fratello's voice, and yet knowing that it's not truly his. It made Feliciano want to cry, but he was just about done with that. His tears had dried up long before, being replaced with a pint of hope. He only wished that it was true.

Meanwhile, Kuro and Lanzo were in the back, talking in hushed voices. "You sure you'll be fine?" Lanzo nodded. "Of course." He couldn't blame Kuro for worrying. Lanzo never really liked the silence and loneliness that he was often found in. Though he had grown to use it to his own advantage and comfort, he could only stand so much. And that's what Kuro worried about.

He worried that his friend's sanity would slip away without warning and he would lose it, just like the others had.

Just like he had.

Lanzo knew the reasons behind his concern and tried his best to be careful as a result. It was a bit of struggle, but he managed at the least. He had to.

"Alright well if anything goes wrong you'll have to fend for yourself. This place is a couple hours away, and we won't be able to reach you. Just... be careful." Kuro said as he moved a hand through his bangs.

"What's Luciano's planning?" Lanzo asked without a thought.

"I wish I knew. He hasn't said anything to me. I just know that it's something big if he's dragging us all the way out to the middle of nowhere. And it has something to do with those Italian _Dōkō-kai_, and whatever is in that duffel bag." He motioned behind him with his head. On the counter was the duffel bag that Lanzo saw with Jean earlier. But he wouldn't bring that up, since it would only increase Kuro's suspicions.

And he might slip up.

"Well just focus on your... duties. And I'll focus on mine. What time do you think you'll return?"

"By morning if we're lucky." Kuro said with a sigh. He obviously wasn't looking forward to this trip but couldn't stay behind. Luciano wouldn't allow him and he needed to preserve his strength for later. The two heard Kasper call for Kuro, it was time to leave.

"Sayōnara."

"Lebewohl."

. . .

Lanzo didn't waste much time waiting, as the van disappeared past the horizon and the sun slowly set he rushed back into the sleeping quarters and started poking around, looking for a certain someone.

"Damn it where did you wander off to this time?" He muttered as he checked through his stuff. He had a limited amount of time to get everything he wanted to do done. Though it likely wouldn't happen, the others could return at any possible moment. And if he wasn't within the vicinity then they would quickly grow suspicious and possibly learn of his decisions. He couldn't allow that, which was exactly why he had to get moving ASAP.

Lanzo stood tall and looked around, trying to find the small, oil black figure that, on any other day, would stick out like a beacon in the night sky. But it seemed that the lack of light and the intense silence just made the room feel even more empty, and his senses even more worthless.

Lanzo started trying to remember ways he used to attract his companion whenever they disappeared out of the blue. He tried to remember a concoction he used, or a treat he would give. Then he remembered something. A certain tune he used to whistle and hum, or even sing when it was required; or he was in a good mood. It was a German Lullaby his grandfather used to sing to him when he was much younger, and often had trouble sleeping. Specifically during wars.

For whatever reason it attracted the pesky fellow when he was smaller and didn't exactly understand life as is. As a result it was rather useful and Lanzo found himself using the tune often, whether it was to calm himself or to attract the attention of the other.

But after his dissolution Lanzo found himself using the tune less and less. It always reminded him of the past and he hated thinking about such a thing.

It reminded him of the bloodshed and tears.

It reminded him of the screams of terror and the innocent being slaughter.

It reminded him of the day his grandfather died.

So he forgot about it along with most of his regrets, his mistakes. His failures. But now he struggled to remember any part of it, even the beat or rhythm. Or simply the story it portrayed whenever heard.

Slowly but steadily, he pieced back together a small bit of the tune. He was unaware whether or not the lyrics were correct, but he had to try one way or another.

"S-schlaf ein, schlaf ein, schlaf ein." His voice cracked as he sang, he was hesitant. He was reluctant. He tried to put the song back together as he sang it. He tried to remember the stormy nights where he laid in bed, covered in a warm blanket and his grandfather sat at his bedside in an old wooden chair and sang to him. It seemed more like something a mother would do to help her son sleep, but Lanzo never had that motherly figure in his life.

He was never given the chance to have one.

But his grandfather still tried his best. Though he was, admittedly, a cruel and sometimes unforgiving man, he still had a heart. Whether people would believe it or not.

"Du gähnst schon," Lanzo stopped again, still fighting to remember. Fighting to bring back something he had pushed away for so many years. And for what? To avoid his own sorrow? To avoid the truth? He simply wanted to forget, but that wasn't possible. Even for him.

"Komm... k-kuschel dich ein." He wouldn't even consider calling it singing. It was like he was reciting a script. He was reciting words in a robotic tone of voice, without any form of emotion. He knew that if he continued to do so, simply stating them in a monotone voice instead of actually singing it, then his friend would never appear.

"Ich sing dir noch ein Lied..." He wanted to remember. All he wanted to do was remember. But... but he couldn't. He couldn't remember past that. His head hurt to try. It was something that he knew but just wasn't able to say. Not because he wouldn't, but because he couldn't.

Being satisfied with at least being able to put together the first three lines or so, Lanzo continued to repeat them over and over again, until he could speak without hesitation. Once that was accomplished, he finally managed to sing as best he could. His first two attempts at doing so failed miserably. Either his voice cracked or he forgot which word came next. But after a few more tries he finally managed to do it correctly, and the song came out as it was meant to.

Or at least as close as it could.

He tried to mimic his grandfather's voice, but the image in his mind was so old and... vague. He found it hard to replay that video in his mind without fail. It wasn't long after the lyrics flowed out with his voice that Shay emerged from a empty box of crackers, his black feathers covered in a carpet of crumbs. Lanzo stopped mid sentence and smiled. "And where have you been Landstreicher?"

The albino knelt down next to the hawk and bopped him on the edge of his beak. Shay's head moved back slightly, mostly out of shock, before turning to the side. "C'mon we have to get going." Lanzo stood back up and turned to the staircase. Shay watched his retreating back for a moment before flying after him. By the time Lanzo was outside, Shay was perched on his shoulder and his hood was up.

Lanzo knew that people would surely see him as being suspicious, who wouldn't? It was some weird guy wearing a white hoodie that bared the Teutonic Knight's symbol with a black hawk perched on his shoulder and hood covering his head. And that wasn't even to mention the scars and the robotic arm. Lanzo could only hope that no one would decided to call the cops on him, he wasn't in the mood to spend a night in jail.

And if that were to happen the others would surely never trust him on his own again.

Lanzo followed the path that he had only gone down twice but remembered almost by heart, specifically because of the similarity in this world to theirs. Yes it had it's major differences, such as color scheme, atmosphere, and even people. But where certain significant buildings were located was the same. That was the only reason why he knew exactly where he was going.

Lanzo continued down the sidewalk, the cold air flowing through his hair and Shay's wings. It caused him to shiver, despite his jacket it still allowed goosebumps to form up his arms and legs. Despite this they kept going, Lanzo staring down at the ground as he saw out of the corner of his eyes, the heads of people turning towards him and staring at him.

Questioning him.

He refused to meet their stares not matter what, he wasn't in the mood for trouble of any sorts. And he knew with some of them, simply by the smile on their faces, that all they wanted him to do was look at them in a way they considered 'wrong'. Then they'd pick a fight that they would later regret.

Lanzo wasn't much of a fighter at times like these, but if he was put in a state where he was forced to defend himself then he would surely do so. Death likely being in the attacker's future. It was something he wasn't always proud of, but it was simply a series of skills he learned in his younger days of being a country, and was unable to remove from both his memory and his life.

Shay also had a bit of fight in him, though not as much and it being not as... used. The hawk was claimed the runt of his siblings, and happened to be the only one to fail their first attempts at flying. He fell from the nest, no one seeming to take notice of his disappearance as most had already been soaring through the sky long before.

Shay was left in the grass, crying away in an attempt to get help of any sort. Receiving none, he found Lanzo stumbling upon him unintentionally. Lanzo saw Shay as being... weak. Instead of trying to change his situation via strength and willpower, he laid there and cried. Lanzo found himself feeling pity for him and helped him, wanting to teach the innocent bird how to stand proud for once.

Though it was a hard and sometimes seemed like an impossible task, over the decades it came to a reality. At least as close to a reality as it bird still had his own kinks every here and there, some more noticeable than others. But the two of them were partners, whether they liked it or not.

Lanzo rounded the final corner, and a few houses later he was at his destination. Not wanting to replay the previous event, Lanzo took the time to knock on the door. Three knocks and a good ten seconds later, the door flew open and in the doorway stood a tired and irritated Prussian.

Gilbert was about to yell at whoever decided to interrupt him when he realized it was none other than Lanzo himself. He bit his tongue to stop anything that he didn't want to say from coming out and instead smiled. "Just the man I was looking for!" He said, ushering the other inside. "C'mon, I need to show you something."

He rushed off into another room, leaving Lanzo to close the door and take a seat at the nearest table. It was much warmer in the house than it was outside. But it wasn't an overwhelming heat either.

Just enough to make it all comfortable.

He waited patiently as Shay examined the room, seeming to take in every last detail without having any practical use for them. Gilbert rushed back into the room without warning, his right hand behind his back, hiding something. Lanzo raised an eyebrow, the smile on Gilbert's face made him feel uneasy.

"What are you up to?" He asked, both confused and slightly worried. He didn't know what to expect from this guy.

"Sheesh calm down, you're starting to sound like West." Lanzo rolled his eyes at the comment, quickly noticing that Shay's attention seemed to be stuck elsewhere.

But he ignored it since the bird seemed to have a rather short attention span either way and reverted his gaze back to Gilbert.

"So, Lanzo, being the awesome me I decided to do the awesomest thing ever." Lanzo was starting to question the full extent of his counterpart's vocabulary.

"So, I've deciding to do you a favor!" Now Lanzo was starting to wonder what exactly he had done. He simply hoped that he hadn't murdered anyone.

Gilbert quickly removed his arm from behind his back and shoved whatever was in his hand into Lanzo's face. He almost fell back in his chair, trying to avoid from being hit. He shut his eyes involuntarily and waiting for any form of impact, but it didn't come.

"TA DA!" He opened one eye and then another. First he saw the chain the was grasped in the palm of the other's hand. Then his eyes moved down, following the trail the chain made. His eyes widened when he finally reached the bottom.

"Is that-" He was lost for words. He was simply shocked.

"Yup! It's your iron cross, all fixed and shiny like it used to be!" Gilbert dropped the necklace into Lanzo's hands and sat back proudly.

Lanzo looked it over, first not even believing that it was truly his. If it wasn't for the fact that the cross seemed to be missing from his pocket, then he probably wouldn't of believed it.

The iron cross seemed to be perfectly put back together, and the only trace that it had been broken before was the thin line that was cut across it.

"How did you... ?" Gilbert was still basking in his own glory, and it took him a moment to correctly register the question in his head.

"It took a while. About a day's worth. I was cooped up in West's office with a hot glue gun, a magnifying glass, and a flashlight. Probably not my best decision, I think I spilt some glue on his paperwork. I could've used his book lamp, but that would of been a waste of energy. West kept asking me questions, so I moved to my room in the basement. After gluing my hands together at least three times, dropping the flashlight whenever I was almost done, and passing out on the floor, I finally managed to fix it!"

Lanzo could see spots on Gilbert's hand where skin seemed to be missing, likely from removing the glue when water just wouldn't work. Lanzo sighed and shook his head.

"You know you're crazy but... thanks. I didn't exactly expect that." Gilbert laughed, finally sitting up in his chair.

"I didn't think you would, which is why I did it. When I heard about the toll the dissolution had on you, I just wanted to help you out. You know, fellow Prussians right? I guess it was just the right thing to do in my mind, especially when you left it here right out of the blue." Lanzo nodded, understanding, and quickly putting the cross around his neck.

Suddenly Shay flew off of Lanzo's shoulder, soaring off after something Lanzo couldn't see. It seemed to be the first time Gilbert actually noticed the hawk after being so lost in his own accomplishment.

"Shay!"

"Gilbird!"

Lanzo and Gilbert both jumped out of their seats in sync, watching as one bird chased the other. Gilbird jumped on the tupperware and silverware. On the pots and the pans, over and under things, simply trying to get away.

Shay followed him on the exact same path, but instead of moving swiftly and gracefully as Gilbird managed to do, he tipped, flipped, dropped, broke, and even tumbled things over. Tons of objects collided either on the ground or into each other as the chase continued.

The two went after their own birds, trying to stop the destruction before it could go too far, but it seemed like it already had. Lanzo wrapped his arms around Shay in a tight grasp and held onto the bird as he flailed about. Gilbird flew up and landed on Gilbert's head, perching himself on top of the silvery hair. Gilbert quickly rushed into the living room, closing the door behind him. Lanzo let go of the hawk when he saw that Gilbert had disappeared with his own bird.

He sighed, taking note of the mess in the kitchen and the cuts on his arm from the hawk's talons.

"Damn it Shay." He walked into the kitchen and started to clean up the mess, Shay seeming to be completely oblivious to the disaster he had just caused. As Lanzo put things away and cleaned up any glass that had shattered via impact with the ground, his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that Kuro had sent him a text, likely to check on him. But when he unlocked his phone and read the message his eyes widened. He read it again and again and again, but simply couldn't believe it.

Gilbert emerged from the living room, closing the door behind him to make sure neither Shay nor Gilbird managed to wandered into unguarded territory. He saw Lanzo had already cleaned up a majority of the mess, and decided he would help with the rest. The last thing he wanted was for Ludwig to find out about the encounter altogether.

But before he could even decide where he was going to start first, Lanzo walked up to him. His face was full of worry. At first Gilbert thought it was mainly because of the destruction that Shay had caused, but when he saw the phone in the other's hand he thought it was much more.

"Gilbert... I-I need to tell you something..."

* * *

_Link to German lullaby is below v_

Bonjour = Hello (French)

Moi = Me (French)

Beauté = Beauty (French)

Oui = Yes (French)

Rapido = Fast (Italian)

Dōkō-kai = Fuckers (Japanese)

Sayōnara = Goodbye (Japanese)

Lebewohl = Goodbye (German)

Landstreicher = Tramp (German)

**A/N: Ha ha, this took longer to do than I had hoped! ^.^' I got sick this week so I managed to miss a day and a half of school. When I wasn't dying in bed, trying to play AC3, or watching Youtube, I was working on this story. See, I wasn't being a lazy ass. Anyway, the beginning of this chapter was hard for me to write ;-; I dunno why it just took me forever since I wanted to get to the part with Lanzo but I needed filler content badly. So I decided to allow Arthur to snap at France, Kuro to nearly get murdered, and Ivan to find Alfred's not so hidden stash of violent and possibly illegal DVDs. +1 Imagination**

**I had the idea to add 2p! Gilbird in last minute but I figured I might as well. Glad I did though since I almost forgot about the guy =..=' So yeah, after debating over names for a good thirty minutes or so I finally decided on "Shay" since, in certain languages, it means "Hawk-like". And it sounds cools so YDAFUQNAWT?! **

**Yeah, anyway I decided to get a bit deeper into Lanzo's relationship with relatives. **

**I got that idea last minute tu OuO **

**And then Gilbert being nice and Shay scaring Gilbird shitless and then the mysterious text from Kuro that probably just fucked everything up~ So yeah, long week. Can't promise when next chapter will be released but I got a few evil ideas in mind. **

**Also if you want to hear/listen to the lullaby that Lanzo is attempting to remember/sing you can find it har: watch?v=nzulUNNqJfo**

**I would just put in the name but I'm not 100% on what it is, plus I saw what I assume to be the original version of this song and it was in a female voice. Since I wanted it to seem more like Lanzo singing it (Which, in this video, it could be) I simply watched this one. The English lyrics are a bit... google translatey, so I didn't put them in the translations section of the chapter. Sorry but I don't want to butcher the German language anymore than I might have already thanks to Google Translate e_e**

**Ciao~**


	16. Chapter 16: The Ambush: Part 3

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

**The Ambush: Part 3**

When the white van pulled up at the large open plain covered in nothing but dirt and shrubs every here and there, most were confused. Specifically by the fact that rather than having one core building, a warehouse, as Luciano had said, there were two. Yes the warehouse was there but it was next to a single-story log cabin. Few were actually surprised with the discovery, and the drastic change in environment.

One minute they were driving down a badly concrete road, seeing nothing but trees for miles on end. Then, all of a sudden, the trees disappear completely along with the road. The car started bumping around as they hit dirt a high speeds and a few people fell from their seats, mainly the ones who neglected to hold on.

The area looked like it could of been used for farming beforehand, the warehouse maybe being used to store some sort of crops and the log cabin being the living quarters. It was obviously abandoned after a few years, anything that had been growing beforehand was long gone by now.

Luciano told Kasper to turn around and park the van within the trees, hiding it from the naked eye. He did so, but had a struggle when attempting to drive the truck through the dense woods. He did eventually succeed but it wasn't after some tree branches scratched the paint, not that it really mattered.

Once they managed to do that, everyone piled out while dragging the hostages. Feliciano was to stay within cover of the trees with whomever was left to guard him, and Lovino would be dragged into the warehouse. He was simply there for the purpose of being a decoy. The Two-Ps weren't just going to openly hang over Feliciano. Luciano had said that only to trick Kiku. Almost everything he had told to the Japanese man was fake. The feeling of wanting to return home was a tall tale, the plan was truly Luciano's, and no one being there to guard the trade-off was a lie. It was all part of physiological warfare, manipulation. Something Kiku seemed prone to.

So Luciano acted innocent, tricked Kiku into believing him, and then played it off. It was rather cruel yet genius, and fulfilled it's purpose. He convinced their counterparts to drag themselves out where no one could hear them _scream _and risk their lives saving someone they hadn't even come for in the first place. Their counterparts just seemed to be so gullible.

Feliciano sat down in the damp grass, glancing nervously at his guards. Kasper and Kuro stood in front of him. They didn't pay much attention to him, their gazes reverting to the warehouse as they had a discussion about an unknown topic. Of course they wouldn't care about his well being, they never had and never would.

Feliciano wondered if he could run off, get a head start and ditch them. It was worth a shot. Ludwig always scolded him for running from his fights and during training; but he was always so fast. In certain situations he even outrun the others. If he could just muster the willpower inside of him, he might just be able to get away. Though, he didn't know exactly how far he would make it. If he could just get away from them in general, he would eventually find someone... right? He could just follow the road back. Though he wouldn't do it directly, as the two-ps could easily find him if he was out in plain sight, he'd hide in the brush and hope for the best. Eventually he would make it to safety.

Yes, that's it. That's what he had to do. Try to escape. It was his last resort and if he didn't try then he wouldn't know if it would work in the end. He just had to find out, even if it killed him. It's not like they wouldn't kill him in the end.

Feliciano settled on it, quickly looking up to see his guards. They were still distracted, good. It was just the distraction he needed to get away... but he still had to be careful and make sure no one was watching him. Surveying the area quickly, he made sure that no one other person was watching him, or even looking in his general direction. One last glance before he stood up from his spot and slowly began to step backwards. Once he was a good few feet away, he turned around and bursted out into a full on sprint. It wasn't until then that Kuro and Kasper noticed him and both bolted after, alerting the others of his escape.

It was hard running with your hands handcuffed in front of you. Feliciano didn't think of that beforehand and now found it being his major downfall. He found it hard running without stopping, especially since the use of his arms were out of the question. But he kept running anyway, the sound of heavy boots trailing after him pushing him to go on. He didn't get very far though. He would have if his enemies hadn't been prepared. It seemed that they expected him to run off, and it was just a matter of when he would.

All Feliciano heard was a pop.

A bang really.

Then he felt the unbearable pain in his leg. He tripped and fell to the ground, receiving a face full of dirt and rocks.

He just laid there, too scared to actually move. He felt the warm liquid flow down his leg and puddle at his feet. He could hear someone running up behind him, and before he knew it he was being lifted by the back of his shirt. Within seconds he was being dragged back to the white van, his leg leaving behind a trail of blood. It wasn't until he was confined in the back of the vehicle that they finally tended to his bullet wound.

In a quick instant he found out that he was shot by none other than Leonardo himself, who had been sent to watch the road in case their counterparts showed up sooner than expected. He heard the shouting and went to investigate.

Seeing Feliciano fleeing, he took the chance he had and shot him; which worked in the two-ps favor.

Feliciano's leg was cleaned, wrapped, and the bleeding stopped. But the pain was quite an irritation and he found it hard to ignore. Feliciano realized that the hooded man was now gone, though he wasn't exactly sure where he had been taken he didn't bother to ask questions as he wouldn't get a reply. Now everyone was huddled in a circle, Jean holding onto the duffel bag. Feliciano found himself being in the perfect position to hear them talk, and it wasn't exactly obvious that he was eavesdropping.

Luciano spoke first, explaining everyone's roles.

"Alright I want this to be clear. You cannot kill our counterparts, no matter how much you'd love to. You simply need to stall while we set up in the basement of the warehouse. Until we manage to do that you'll have to fight them, whether you like it or not. Allan and Andrew have already set up the _esca_ inside. He's in the center, the main room, so you'll have to keep them away from there for as long as you can. Once we give you the signal via earpieces, then you'll have to back off. Get out of there as soon as possible, if you don't I can't guarantee your survival. I'll stay behind with Feliciano. Jian and Viktor will be in the basement, setting up these." Luciano signaled for Jean to open up the duffel bag. He placed it on the ground and unzipped it, slowly revealing the large amounts of C4 charges.

"Where did you get these?" Kuro asked, taking a step away from the charges. He didn't trust the Italian for one second, especially since he was likely the one with the detonator.

"I... _borrowed_ them." He said with the same sadistic glint in his eyes that he always had whenever he was planning a murder, specifically mass.

"Viktor and Jian will have to set these up in the basement, make sure that you place them on the structural frame. We want the building to collapse on them, any explosive damage to them just being icing on the cake. If you have any extra, fell free to stick them to the roof. Try to put them as close to the bait as you can, since that's where they will be. So, any questions?" Silence.

"No? Then get moving!"

Small black earpieces were picked up out of a box and people ran off to wherever they needed to go. Kuro and Kasper went through the front. Sebastian, Leonardo, and Andrew went off through the side door, the quickest way to the main room. Jian and Viktor through the back, immediately heading for the stairs with Viktor carrying the duffel bag over his shoulder.

Before the final group consisting of Allan, Oliver, and Jean was able to go to their location, they were pulled back by Luciano. He gave them a backpack and told them specific instructions. Allan nodded and went off towards the cabin. Luciano sat behind and smiled, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"So Feliciano, what do you think of the plan?"

* * *

Allan wasn't exactly sure what Luciano was planning with the objects in the backpack, he was simply told to set them all up in the house in obvious places so their counterparts would definitely find them... unless they were as stupid as they seemed. Inside was just a bunch of papers, something he took no interest in and handed over to Oliver when he asked for a quick 'peek'.

He shuffled through the papers, seeming to read all of them as they entered the building. Though the outside seemed broken down, giving the building the appearance that it was abandoned, the inside said otherwise.

The first room was filled with furniture, they found it as being the living room. There was a torn up red three seat couch with two matching cushioned chairs to it's sides. They all faced inwards at a coffee table that had a small metal bowl filled with fake fruit. On the side was a bookshelf stuffed to the brink with hard back books, the titles faded on the spines. A lamp was found in every corner, the shades a beige color and the bulbs either missing or broken. It was all covered in dust, an obvious layer found on top of everything. From there, there were three more doorways.

One lead to a kitchen, pots and pans that had once been used piled up in the sink and all covered in disturbing looking gunk. The fridge still had food inside, all of it rotten and stinking up the entire room. The kitchen seemed to be the least well kept room, as a few cabinets were coming off of their hinges and their stove seemed to have never been cleaned once. It was a disgusting mess and the trio left as soon as they got the chance.

The next room was a bathroom, which seemed to be a bit more clean. There were three toothbrushes on the counter in a small cup, a medicine cabinet filled with pills and ointments of all sorts. The toilet was also quite clean, the inside seeming to have been cleaned and then not used afterwards. The sink was... decent. There was a soap bar stuck to the counter, having been used and then left there while still wet.

The last doorway lead to a hallway. It gave off an eerie feeling that made everyone uneasy. It seemed to be one of those long, near endless hallways that people would walk down in horror movies before being murdered. The idea itself made them hesitant, but Jean seemed the least affected. He began down the hallway, mumbling how the others were so immature to even believe such a thing. Allan followed next followed by Oliver. The walls were covered in four by four picture frames, each one with a picture of a different person.

Between each picture was a wall lamp that were busted up. The pictures seemed to have the kind of eyes that appeared to watch you as you walked by, causing Allan to question who had owned this house before and what kind of issues they happened to have.

At the end of the hallway was one door, which seemed to make the long walk it took them to get there pointless. Nonetheless, they entered the room. It was dark, the lack of windows being obvious. Jean fumbled around around for a light switch, eventually finding one and attempting to use it. It refused to work, much to their dismay. They ended up stumbling around blindly, tripping over objects they couldn't identify no matter how much they strained their even managed to bang his knee into a filing cabinet.

How he missed the object in general was a mystery on it's own. Even if the room was as dark as could be, the cabinet was just as tall as he was and one would imagine that if he was feeling around with his hand, as he should have been, his hand would of bumped into it first.

But it would also seem that his misfortune was for the better of the trio. By bumping into the cabinet rather hard an item fell from the top and clicked on as it hit the ground. It was exactly what they needed, a flashlight. But it also happened to land on Allan's foot. It was surprisingly heavy and, as a result, struck him with large amounts of pain. It rolled off of his shoe as he hopped around on a single leg, cursing under his breath.

Oliver picked up the flashlight and looked around the room. It was no wonder that they had been tripping and falling so much, the room was an absolute mess. Though the walkways were, for the most part, cleared; the table tops and desks were covered. There were books and papers and pens and pencils. The bookshelves that aligned the walls were packed together so tightly it seemed that attempting to remove one object would cause all to fly out in some utter catastrophic chain reaction.

With aid from the flashlight beams, Jean managed to turn on the lamps that also appeared to be located in all four corners of the room. It allow them to see the room fully, and quite honestly it didn't look any better. It just let them see the mess in better lighting.

"I guess we might as well clear off the tables and place the stuff in here." Allan said, snatching the backpack away from Oliver. He had kept it in his possession for no particular reason and seemed to have read every last slip of paper inside. But he refused to share what he had read. Allan shrugged it off and started clearing off the desk, trying to make the sheets of paper seem as important as possible. Jean was searching through the filing cabinet in the back. It made an irritating squeaking noise as it dragged along, opening up slowly.

He peered inside, nothing important. Of course. The file folders were empty, anything that had once been inside was now gone. That was at least assuming that there was anything inside in the first place. He moved over to the desk, checking the drawer for anything interesting. The first one was empty but the second one had a book.

A journal.

Jean picked it up out of curiosity and opened it up to a random page. It was set up in order by chronological dates. He skimmed over random pages, trying to figure out what exactly the previous owner was like. Or what he did, at the least. As he read he could see Allan out of the corner of his eye throwing things onto the ground as he made room for the so called important papers. Once he threw things on the floor Oliver would place down the sheets in the newly cleared section. Not that it was a surprise, the two could work well together when they actually tried.

Jean reverted his full attention back to the book. It seemed to science notes of some sort. Chemistry maybe. Suggesting the previous owner was attempting... experiments. Of what sort Jean was unsure. That seemed to be information that he couldn't learn simply from looking at a few early dated notes and basic sketches.

But of course that's only what he assumed when reading the first few entries. Once he managed to get a bit deeper into the context, it seemed that the owner was into some sort of black magic. Likely necromancy by the look of it. Though there was no real evidence that any of his experiments had been successful, the outcome of most tests seemed to be of absence in the journal.

They were scarcely mentioned, and when they were it was usually because of a minor mishap or drawback. This only made Jean more curious and to question why these things had to be so secretive that the writer wouldn't even think of putting them down on paper. Jean came to the supposed final date and realized that the note was not only half written, but the writing was also relatively sloppy. It seemed different from the handwriting in previous texts and Jean had to look closely in order to make out letters and words alike.

From what he could tell it was a plea for help. Whoever wrote it was in trouble and was only able to write down a half finished letter. It seemed to be a warning of some sort, likely to stay away from the house itself. For whatever reason Jean was unsure but he wasn't really sure if he wanted to know in the end. His head jolted up when he felt a tapping on his shoulder. He was relieved when he discovered it was only Oliver and that it wasn't some undead zombie freak that snuck up on them without notice.

"Let's get out of here." Allan motioned towards the exit.

"This place creeps me the hell out."

"You and me both."

* * *

The Cadillac slowly drove down the bumpy old road, people jumping up and done in their seats unintentionally and colliding with each other. The road was poorly made and the car rocked back and forth as it attempted to continue. It was late now, just as they had expected. But it was much, much later than they had hoped and now the sun had set and the moon had rose.

They blamed the fact that they had stopped to get food. Kiku was starving and Alfred asked for some McDonalds to help him get through the trip. After a bit of arguing and unneeded shouting matches, Ludwig finally gave in and pulled into the drive through. They quickly ordered food and were off once again. Kiku ate quickly, obviously the lack of food had taken a toll on him. As for Alfred, he always seemed to be eating a hamburger. After they finished up their meals the trio in the back seat all fell asleep. They were, after all, the only ones that stayed up.

Even if they were nations they still required the basic sustenance of food, water, and sleep. Being deprived of these lead to them being in a state of low nourishment. Though it didn't happen often, being in such a state for so long could take it's toll on the country and their people. The past few days forced the nations into such situations, though it wasn't as bad as where their people suffer with them; it still put them at a major disadvantage during encounters with their Two-Ps.

So the three fell asleep in the back. With them being asleep everyone else was in a much... calmer state of mind. Ivan was able to watch the horror movies he picked out of the box, much to Yao and Francis' dismay. They had to listen to the constant screams and screeches that erupted from the speakers whenever they tried to do something else. They usually ended up being pulled into watching the movie in the end, as trying to read or stare at the trees was nearly impossible thanks to the background noises.

But it was much worse for those sitting up front, as they had no other choice but to listen to the sounds without any real imagine in their minds, their imagination taking control.

It made the ride that just more unbearable and Ludwig had to fight in order to concentrate on the road. But once it started getting all bumpy he was at least distracted. The sudden change in movement seemed to wake up the three in the back. They were all confused but came to their senses after a little bit. After that it was about ten minutes of badly made roads and trees.

Then the road smoothed out again and the trees were gone. They drove onto a field and stopped the car. Then they piled out and stared ahead. With no cloud in the sky the moon and stars lit up the area perfectly. They were able to see both buildings.

Both. That was the first thing they pointed. _Two_ buildings. Not one warehouse but a warehouse and a cabin.

"Great, two places. Double the chance of a trap." Arthur muttered, though no one seemed to listen.

"Well, now what? Do we split up or stay together?" Antonio asked as he looked between both buildings.

"We'll just stick to the plan but with a slight change. My team will go and investigate the cabin and everyone else will go into the warehouse, separate entrances like how we decided." Alfred said quickly before anyone could say anything else. No one was in the mood to argue or say otherwise so they just agreed and went their separate ways.

"Alright just be careful. We won't have any form of communicated with other groups, so you'll have to depend on each other. If you don't find anything of important go and meet up with another team. This might be our only chance to get back Feliciano. Let's not screw it up." With that quick speech Ludwig was off, leading his team. A quick glance at each other and everyone else was doing the same.

Team Beta was to go in through the front.

Team Crimson the back.

Team Alpha through the front door of the cabin.

That was how is was going to happen and they could only hope it would work out in the end.

* * *

The second Luciano sent the news in through the comms that their counterparts had arrived, Kuro and Kasper instantly got into position. According to their eye outside, they were outnumbered as well. Two to one. Kasper quickly stated that he would face the first two since Kuro _obviously_ couldn't handle them. Kuro was tempted to argue with him but didn't want to blow their cover. So he bit his tongue and sat there. It wasn't long until they saw three people walk inside of the room. They were two rooms away from the main room where Lovino was being held.

The room they were in was used some sort of office. It had twelve tables, six on one side of a walkway and six on another. Each table had two chairs and they were all facing the opposing wall. Kuro commented on how it reminded him of miniature lecture hall. Most of the tables were covered in paperwork, folders, books, and boxes. Scattered across the ground next to the desks were crates, some heavier than others but all of them being hard to ope.

Despite the objects there was a good bit of room next to the main door, the perfect place for a fight. But the objects also had their own advantages, giving a well amount of cover for anyone trying to move around unnoticed. Though Kasper would have a harder time sneaking around, Kuro was small enough to be able to do so with small chance of fail. Which is exactly what he needed.

The second he caught site of Yao he quickly motioned to him, mouthing the words "He's mine" to Kasper before beginning the maneuver over behind him.

Kasper nodded and quickly peeked out of cover to see the other two enemies. He was pleased to see the Russian and Frenchmen there, he would at least have a decent fight.

Kasper watched Kuro stand up behind the group as they took stepped farther into the room, examining everything but their opponents whom were closing in on them quickly. The sound of Kuro's katana slipping out of it's sheath in one quick, slick motion drew their attention behind them. The second Yao saw the blade that was within range of his neck he jumped back and nearly tripped over his own feet.

This caused Kuro to smile as Kasper came out from his hiding spot, blocking off the only other exit from the room. The team looked back and forth between the two men, not really sure on what to do.

Yao looked over at Kuro and felt the anger inside of himself build up, ready to explode. He had been waiting so long for an opportunity to fight Kuro, and this was his chance. He wouldn't necessarily kill Kuro, he would simply face off against him. He had always tried to get a fair fight with him, the one on one kind. But during wars he would always force Yao to face off against his army instead of himself. Of course he would do such a thing, he was too much of a coward to face off against him. He always struck when it was least expected, always ambushed him and always went for the backstab. Never once did he challenge him like an honorable warrior would, he always took the coward's way out. If they were to fight now, he wouldn't have that option.

"Ivan, Francis, take care of the other one. I'll deal with this nuòfū" Yao hissed. The other two nodded, not exactly sure they wanted to get between Yao and Kuro. They turned to face Kasper, who seemed to be smirking. Kasper was glad they wouldn't even have to convince them to fight someone specifically.. They decided to split up on their own free will. Now it was just a matter of making sure they didn't win this fight no matter what. Which Kasper didn't imagine being hard. It was simply a matter of not killing them that might need a bit more of self control.

Something he could only hope Kuro had.

Francis looked over at Yao wearily as he stepped to the side with Ivan. He hoped that his mind wouldn't end up clouded by rage and he wouldn't get himself killed in the process of pure revenge. During the ride there him and Matthew managed to get a bit caught up on the whole scenario. It allowed him to learn a good bit of things and about a few events in the past he wasn't exactly aware about. He also had some important information cleared up and stories explained. Part of that was learning about Kuro, Kiku's obsessed guardian, and his roles in past wars and whatnot. Obviously encountering him now of all times would probably fuel Yao's rage even more.

It was only a matter of time before he lost it completely.

Ivan seemed to be thinking the same. But he couldn't worry about that at the current point in time. He had an opponent of his own, one that seemed would happily kill him if given the opportunity. He couldn't allow that to happen for numerous reasons and figured that he would have to give it his best in order to survive.

Ivan pulled out his pipe from what seemed like nowhere and smiled, patting it in the palm of his left hand. Despite his intimidating stature Kasper still didn't flinch, only smirked. That seemed to be the opposite of what Ivan expected but he didn't let that distract him.

Francis took a few steps back when he saw Ivan and Kasper charge head first into each other. He wasn't sure if he could be of any assistance to the oversized Russian, and didn't want to risk breaking something in the process. And it wasn't like Ivan couldn't handle himself in a fight. Francis turned around only to see Kuro swinging his katana at Yao's was an utterly unfair advantage he received and it forced Yao to use any cover he was within range of. He ducked and dove behind crates and tables that were all destroyed in the process with the single flick of a wrist.

Yao needed a weapon ASAP, and Francis needed to be the one that provided it.

He ran over to a pile of crates and rummaged around through them. With all these boxes there was bound to be something to open them with... right? A crowbar if anything, something blunt. The sounds behind him were distracting as he searched. He looked over his shoulder whenever he thought Yao got hit. But these were all just paranoid thoughts going through his head, and Yao was always fine in the end. Or at least as fine as he could be in the predicament he was put into.

Thus, Francis returned to searching through the debris. But he could find no weapon. Without one they would be sitting ducks to either opponent if one were to charge without much warning. Ivan was the only one armed, therefore he was the only one who could match the attack force of others. Yao and Francis would have to use their own instincts in order to manage. It was all they could do and all they had to do.

. . .

Ivan and Kasper found themselves face to face with each other. When they weren't fighting over the pipe or taking potshots, they were staring each other down. Ivan had to admit, Kasper could land good punches. They weren't often but they were strong and made their point. Really that was all that was required to be a good opponent.

Ivan found the two of them being evenly matched, not counting the fact that Ivan had the pipe at hand. Kasper was obviously skilled and knew how to use his abilities to the fullest. He also knew how to avoid a weapon when required, but he couldn't avoid every attack.

This was proven when Ivan swung at the knee.

He had tried hit the head multiple times before. This either resulted with a block or a duck. So he decided to change it up a bit, try something different. The leg, knee to be specific, seemed to be open. So he took the chance of lowering his block to land a strike.

It, surprisingly enough, landed correctly and Kasper fell onto one knee, a hand falling down instinctively to the wounded area. He didn't cry out, only grimaced and bit his tongue. He could taste the metallic flavor of the crimson fluid in his mouth, which only caused him to spit at the ground to the side. He stared down at the blood on the ground before looking up at Ivan, who almost seemed emotionless.

Kasper staggered to his feet, shaking his leg out a bit before standing as straight as he could. He raised his fists and watched Ivan as he sidestepped.

"Let's play Russe."

. . .

Thoughts of self defense and blind rage flowed through Yao's thinking process as his instincts kicked in. He couldn't die now, he had people he swore to protect and he didn't plan to go back on his word. Without much hesitation Yao brought up his leg and aimed at Kuro's chest. The leg shot out in a sidekick and met it's mark.

Not like Kuro wasn't asking for it. He had, after all, left his chest wide open when he raised his sword overhead. The attack itself had caught him off guard and he stumbled back farther than he would have if he had predicted the strike. He regained his footing and simply smiled at Yao who appeared intimidated, this is what he was waiting for.

A real fight with the man he hated and blamed for moments of despair and agony in his life.

The suffering.

All the suffering. It could be resolved with a single swipe of the sword or the flick of the wrist. Either way it would be over. And that's all Kuro wanted. All he ever wanted.

Kuro swung the sword once again at Yao's head, that of which caused him to bob and weave under the attack and jab Kuro; the punch making contact with his jaw. Kuro stepped back and the two started circling each other. Whenever Kuro made them motion to raise his sword above his head Yao would slap it down with his front hand. Whenever he readied his sword at either side, Yao would move out of range. It was a game that both were determined to win.

Yet Kuro still didn't see the kick coming. It was far too fast for him to react to, no chance of block or dodge. A well placed roundhouse kick to the right hand. All grip lost, sword sent flying. The steel collided with the ground and left Kuro stunned and defenseless. Yao pounced on the opportunity almost instantly but not literally.

Four kicks later and Kuro was against the wall. Three sliding roundhouse kicks forced Kuro on the retreat and a sidekick forced him to stay there. Then Yao continued with an assault of punches to the midsection. Kuro tried to block but simply couldn't. He had to act fast and accurately. His left knee rose and struck Yao in the gut. He continued to land strikes in that general area until the punches seized.

Then he used his right arm to land a strong hook to the cheek. The older man's head jolted to the side in a painful manner and he stood there, pained and vulnerable. Kuro raised his leg and hit a front kick under Yao's jaw. Positive he was dazed, Kuro grabbed Yao by the collar of his shirt and lifted him off of the ground.

With all the strength he could muster he threw Yao into the table. With the force of the impact itself the table broke in two and Yao lay in the debris. He wasn't unconscious, simply too hurt to move a muscle. It made Kuro smile as he picked his katana off of the ground and walked over to the now halved table.

Yao's eyes opened halfway and stared back into the blood red orbs that seemed to belong to the devil himself.

He couldn't move even if he wanted to, so he just sat there and accepted his eyes never moved away from Kuro's, even when the blade was once again raised, this time the sword itself pointing downward in preparation for puncture; he still didn't lose eye contact.

They were both sure this would be the end of Yao and all his glory, but they were wrong.

Without warning, Francis came up behind Kuro and placed him in a strong headlock. Kuro found himself again being caught off guard and he lowered the katana to his side as he fought the grip. But Francis didn't let up and began to tighten his hold.

Kuro was losing air fast and it was obvious, he needed to get out before he was the one to fall unconscious. He had to act fast. Thrashing obviously wasn't doing him any good, so he had to result to more professional techniques. With his free arm he began to blindly jab his elbow backwards. The first one missed. The second one, not so much. It met with Francis' ribcage and the Frenchmen slouched forward ever so slightly. Knowing where to aim, Kuro struck again. And again. And again. It wasn't until he felt the grip loosen a good amount that he grabbed Francis by his right arm.

A quick swipe with his back leg and his upper strength being focused on one core area, Kuro flipped his attacker over the shoulder and onto the ground in front of him. He landed hard on his back and cringed. Kuro let go of his arm and, just for good measure, kicked him hard in the side of the ribcage in the same place he had struck before.

He spit on the ground at Francis' feet before looking at the whole scene. Kuro smiled. "Two down, one to go."

. . .

The fight escalated rather quickly. Kasper always went for Ivan's blind spots, trying to get behind him whenever he could and land a couple of punches before slipping away from a swing or counter of any sorts. Ivan, on the other hand, tried to get Kasper cornered. Trap him so his pipe could be used to the full extent.

Eventually he was given that chance. Kasper slipped back after managing another potshot, but didn't realize he was really backing into a corner. It wasn't until he was in it and Ivan had him blocked off that he began to panic. Ivan could tell and hoped the fear would work in his favor.

He quickly swung the pipe at Kasper head, not wasting a second before attacking. Kasper instantly brought his arm up to block it, before feeling pain sear through the limb as the cold metal connected with a previously inflicted bruise. Kasper knew that within the next day he would feel the full extent of all the cuts and bruises that he would received in this fight, and only then will he realise how much he underestimated his opponent.

With a quick fluid motion Kasper had two hands firmly gripping the ends of the pipe.

But so did Ivan.

It now turned to a power struggle between the two, Ivan obviously having an advantage at the moment. Though hitting him was no longer an option, suffocation was. He pushed on the pipe and so did Kasper, it seemed hopeless. Then Kasper dropped one of his arms. Ivan wondered why but he learned soon after. Kasper pulled a bowie knife out and quickly jammed it into Ivan's hip. The Russian let out a cry as he pulled away, the knife never leaving his flesh.

Kasper thought he was down for the count, but he let down his guard too soon and the pipe came into contact with the side of his head.

And just like that he was on the ground, blood flowing down the side of his head. He knew he was wounded, but it surely wasn't any worse that he had managed to conflict on Ivan. If anything it was equal amounts of damage in separate parts of the body. Though his wound was in a more vulnerable area, at least he didn't have a knife stuck in his hip.

That was surely something that would take a bit longer to recover from. His vision was blurred so he found it harder to see. All he managed to make out was Kuro running up behind the Russian.

. . .

Ludwig, Matthew, and Antonio weren't startled when three Two-Ps wandered onto their path and blocked off the entrance to the next room over. It only made sense that they would be there, which made Ludwig a bit more determined. The Two-Ps could of easily sent them out there simply to waste time. But if they were there now waiting to pick of fight, then they were bound to be protecting something important.

What that was, he didn't know, but he had his suspicions.

Their opponents split up without recognition, dividing and choosing who they were going to fight with on their own free will. It was decided mentally that Sebastian and Leonardo would be taking down Ludwig while Andrew went after his one-p and Sebastian's.

Antonio and Matthew stepped back when their shadows were engulfed by the single one owned by none other than the Moose Man himself. It was a title that seemed worthy enough based off of his appearance, and nationality. He was intimidating and could be considered menacing to some, but it seemed that was just how most Two-Ps appeared.

The biggest factor about this guy was his strength. If he could use that hockey stick correctly then he'd be a deadly opponent. It seemed like well aimed shot from that barbed wire stick could kill you in an instant. And in reality, it could.

It was truthfully the last thing the two wanted to do today of all days. Matthew wasn't sure if he was prepared mentally to fight his two-p. It was basically like fighting yourself, one always loses in the end. It's just a matter of which one, your brain or your heart. Matthew pulled Antonio to the side and spoke to him in whisper, making sure Andrew couldn't hear them whatsoever.

"There's no way we can fight him head on." Matthew began, peering over his shoulder.

"But I have an idea." Matthew quickly explained his last resort plan that had a 50/50 chance of being successful, not counting major wounds inflicted.

The first part of the plan was simply, Matthew just had to divert his Two-P's attention to him rather than Antonio. How he was going to do that was the real question. Provoking him seemed most obvious. Maybe a few insults or something of the sorts would cause Andrew to be drawn to him. It seemed to be the only possibility, and his best.

"Hey! Um, you... you poule mouillée!" If Matthew and his two-p had anything in common, it was their ability to speak fluently in French. Which meant that Andrew understood exactly what he said.

"What do you want imbécile?" Andrew replied, turning to fully face Matthew. A trail of insults in French flowed from their mouths, some not making sense but neither of them actually caring. Matthew was surprised that Andrew hadn't attacked him yet, but he didn't care.

He watched Antonio out of the corner of his eye as the Spaniard got into proper position. His role was simple, he had to jump onto Andrew's back and stop him from using his weapon. Then Matthew would run in and disarm the guy and before they knew it they would be the ones in control. It was an amateur plan with, once again, only half the chance for it to actually work.

But just as planned Antonio got high enough up and managed to land on Andrew's back.

Hard.

"The hell!?" Andrew stumbled forward and ended up using a hand to support himself, the other still gripping his weapon. Matthew took the chance he had and ran over, eyes locking with the lethal blunt. But Andrew saw him coming and stood up quickly, Antonio nearly falling off. Matthew came to a halt, feet sliding against the ground.

Andrew knew he was vulnerable and needed to get whoever it was on his back off ASAP. Grabbing him was out of the question, his arm just didn't reach that far in that direction. Bucking would just make him look like an absolute idiot.

So he only saw one option, break some things.

Without a hint of sorts Andrew bolted backwards in full speed, grabbing Antonio's arms so he couldn't get off even if he tried. It was only a few seconds before Antonio's body was crushed between his back and the wall. Antonio let out a cry as he slid down the wall, Andrew releasing his grip and stepping forward. Matthew bit his lip, this is what he was hoping wouldn't happen. With their luck they had managed to make their opponent aware of their doings and now he'd be prepared more than he was before.

"Going for cheap shots ey?" Andrew said with a smirk.

"And I thought we could all just get along." Sarcasm was obvious in his tone as he moved to the side, gaining full view of the two of them. Antonio stumbled to his feet, confused and weary. Matthew rush to his aid almost immediately. He helped him fully to his feet before they both turned back to face Andrew. He still had that smug look on his face. They were beginning to wonder if this was a bad idea after all. Though that should of been obvious on it's own, they might as well of tried.

. . .

Ludwig wasn't so sure about fighting two guys at once, but it seemed that he wasn't the one making the decisions. Sebastian came at him with full force, knife in hand. Ludwig had no choice but to fight. Sebastian wasn't the fastest but he was accurate. Precise. He knew where to move and where to cut. Ludwig was on his toes, he had to be. He couldn't block a knife, so he had no choice but to always be moving. He also paid attention to Leonardo who was only watching them play chase. He seemed to be waiting but Ludwig couldn't watch him too much, he was busy.

Looking at anything but the enemy was always a bad idea. He knew that now, one glance a Leonardo and suddenly he had a cut on his shoulder. Looking to check on Matthew and Antonio, slice just above the knee. Sebastian jumped on any and all opportunities he gained.

Ludwig tried his best to play fair but he soon understood that doing so would only result in his own loss. He now had to do whatever it took to succeed, cheating was now an option.

It was kill or be killed, and he wasn't planning to die just yet.

Leonardo watched the two fight back and forth, just waiting for his chance to jump in and ruin it all. He wasn't planning to be a waste after all. He just needed Ludwig to put his back to him.

Then he'd take the shot.

Until then as long as he stayed out of the way he wouldn't be a nuisance. Only act if needed. Only act if given an opening. All he needed was one opening. One. And then he'd finish this. Ludwig just needed to be facing the other direction. So he wouldn't be able to see the shot coming. He would only be confused and hear the bullet zooming through the air, but end up unable to know from where. That's all he needed.

. . .

Matthew and Antonio ended up in head on combat with Andrew, the exact opposite of what they wanted to do. It was obvious what Andrew's tactic was. Get them on the ground and take them out while they're there. He continuously swiped at the legs, usually missing and leaving himself vulnerable for a split second. But there was one time he didn't miss.

Once he actually managed a hit.

Matthew was watching Antonio and making sure he was okay. He seemed to almost be limping after being crushed between two things. But while being so worrisome he let his defenses down and Andrew swiped his legs out from under him within an instant. Next he knew he was on his back, his heading hitting the ground hard.

He felt dizzy and his vision fogged. Andrew stood above him, readying his hockey stick for a final blow. Before he could though Antonio grabbed the end of the stick and pulled it away. It was still in Andrew's grip though, something Antonio hoped wouldn't happen. The Canadian pushed the end covered in barbed wire into Antonio. When he pushed Antonio would blindly move backwards until he was against a wall and the barbed wire was tearing into his chest. He bit back a pain cry as he tried to push the weapon off and away from him.

At this rate if his chest wasn't crushed he would probably puncture something important.

Matthew acted fast once he got back onto his feet. He ran up behind Andrew and with most of his strength, he struck a punch in the back of the head. Andrew's head jolted forward and he froze before lowering the stick and dropping Antonio to the ground. "Mierda..." He muttered on contact with the cold concrete.

Matthew took a step back as Andrew turned to face him.

"I have to admit kid, you've got guts for doing something that ballsy." He hissed as he stepped closer.

"How about I tear them out for ya?" Matthew felt engulfed in fear, his feet feeling planted to the ground. Andrew raised the hockey stick and Matthew closed his eyes.

All he heard was something swinging followed by wood breaking and something hitting the ground. He opened his eyes when he realised he wasn't the one that got hit but gasped when he saw who did. Laying on the ground next to a hockey stick that was now broken at the end, was a bloodied Antonio.

"Damn," Andrew muttered, looking at the mess at his feet.

"Such a shame." Matthew ran over to Antonio, ignoring Andrew and checking for a pulse. He was more than relieved when he was able to successfully find one still pumping.

"Thank god." He said, dropping the Spaniard's wrist and rolling him over. Then he noticed how his chest looked. It wasn't normal, not close. Something looked out of a place.

Something looked broken.

. . .

Ludwig never saw it coming. The bullet, it was just there. Coming out of nowhere. He ducked down on instinct and saw it collide and bounce off of the wall. That's what he noted Leonardo had joined the fight, very much without permission. He looked unhappy, probably because he didn't expect Ludwig to actually dodge the projectile. Ludwig glanced at the gun in his hand before he felt his windpipe being constricted.

It was at that point that he realized Sebastian had a wire wrapped around his neck. Sebastian stepped onto the back of his leg and Ludwig fell to his knees as he fought to breath. He saw Leonardo begin to walk towards him out of the corner of his eye. He had to do something before he got close.

Act first, think later.

Ludwig searched for a gap in the restriction. He quickly found one and wrapped his fingers around it, creating space between the wire and his neck and allowing air to flow again.

Then he violently pulled it forward, breaking Sebastian's grip. Sebastian did move away, but not before landing a kick square in the other's face. Ludwig could taste the metallic flavor of blood in his mouth and spit onto the ground. He wiped his chin as he stood up and searched for where Sebastian had gone.

He ended up finding the end of a boot.

Most would of attempted to move out of the way, or even just attempt to block the kick. But instead Ludwig took a step back and caught the leg. In one quick, swift movement he spun the foot around and let go. Sebastian spun in the air for a few seconds before coming down. He landed hard on his stomach with a grunt.

Ludwig then turned to face Leonardo, who seemed to be distracted with something. He stared down at the ground and had a finger against his ear. That's when Ludwig realized they all were wearing earpieces, Luciano was probably communicating with everyone. Leonardo turned towards Andrew and caught the Canadian's attention.

"We've got to retreat!" He said, attempting to sound scared. Andrew nodded.

"I'll grab Sebastian." Ludwig was planning to fend them off, but instead found Matthew calling for help. Ludwig hesitantly went over to his aid and noticed his chest almost immediately.

"Did he break a couple of ribs?" Ludwig asked as he knelt down.

"I don't know but we need to get him help." Ludwig agreed and stood up. He turned around and thought that their Two-Ps would still be there, but instead found them out of site.

* * *

Jian and Viktor, after setting up the C4 charges, contacted Luciano who told everyone else it was time to split. Kasper, who had mildly recovered, ran out of the building with Kuro. It didn't take long for Leonardo, Sebastian, and Andrew to come out as well. Jian and Viktor were already with Luciano and Feliciano, just waiting. Jean and Oliver showed up soon after, but Allan staying behind.

He was ordered to after all.

Stay behind and make sure that the plan goes well. He had to make sure that their One-Ps found the papers. They nearly blew their cover when Kiku, Alfred, and Arthur walked in and almost crossed paths. Jean and Oliver easily slipped out but Allan ended up hiding in the closet inside of the office. Then they walked right inside the room and started searching. Arthur managed to find the files almost instantly stacked on the table and started reading through them. His expression progressively changed as he read more and more.

"That bastard." His grip on the papers tightened.

"What's wrong?" Alfred asked as he put down what he was looking through and joined the Brit's side.

"They plan to blow up the whole damn warehouse! We need to warn the others before they do!" Alfred nodded.

"Got it! Kiku stay here and check for anything we might have missed. "

"Hai."

"C'mon!"

Alfred and Arthur ran out of the cabin faster than Allan thought possible. Thinking his job was over and that Kiku posed no real threat, Allan moved to the exit. But it would be just his luck to be given another task on exit.

"Allan I need you to do one more thing for me~" Luciano spoke, catching the American off guard.

"What do you want Luciano?" A moment of silence before the conversation continued.

"On the right side of the building you are standing outside of is two cans of gasoline and some other tools that will most definitely come in handy. Please put them to good use and burn the cabin to the ground. With Kiku trapped inside. Grazie!" The line went dead without Allan having a chance to reply or question, and he sighed. Grudgingly, he stepped over and sure enough there were two red canisters with a box of matches and a pair of handcuffs. He grabbed them and hauled them inside, not even wanting to know where or how Luciano got a hold of this things.

Making sure that Kiku was unaware of his presence as he rummaged through old papers. Allan raised his bat as if he was going to hit a baseball and swung. It hit Kiku right in the back of the head.

He fell to the ground and Allan roughly grabbed his wrists. He handcuffed him to a leg of the desk and punched him to keep him dazed for a bit longer. Then Allan started pouring gasoline all around the room. On bookshelves, tables, papers. Really anything flammable. He even poured it in a circle around Kiku but not directly on him. He then lead a trail in front of the doorway.

Once the cans were empty he tossed them to the side and stepped into the hallway. He stared at Kiku as he lit a match. It was then that Kiku realized what was going on and started to struggle. Allan just smirked.

"Death, courtesy of Luciano."

And then the match dropped.

* * *

Everyone met up in the main room where, sure enough, a hostage laid in a chair. They were tied up and their head covered. The only sign that proved they were alive was the fact itself that they still struggled against the binds that constricted them to the chair they sat in.

Antonio was barely conscious, Ivan's wound had been patched but he still walked with a limp, most were nervous and paranoid. But they dealt with it and continued on.

On regroup both teams knew that the other had their own violent encounter with Two-Ps that would likely take a while to recover from. But they just wanted to leave in the end and make everything got back to how it all used to be. Ludwig stepped up to the masked man in the chair and grabbed the bag on their head. He quickly ripped the it off, only to expose the wounded face of Lovino.

Antonio nearly fell over at the site of his Italian friend but Matthew kept him up on his feet.

"But.. how?" Ludwig asked as he stared at Lovino, confused as ever. Francis snapped him out of it and helped untie the ropes and remove the duct tape. Lovino's legs were weak and he used the chair to stand up.

"How did you get here?" Ludwig asked as Lovino slowly regained his balance.

"Those fucking bastards broke into the house when I was sleeping. Choked me out and dragged me down here. They used me so they wouldn't have to hand over Veneziano, but I don't know why." He said with an unhappy sigh. Ludwig had an angered expression on his face. It was so, so obvious that they wouldn't just hand him over. Of course they wouldn't have! He was such a fool for believing something like this. Now they had more wounded and Feliciano's life was still in danger!

Ludwig broke out of his silent moment of rage as everyone turned to the right when they heard footsteps coming down the hall. They prepared to fight off any Two-Ps that dared to come now of all the damn times, and were very well planning to until the two double doors opened to exposed Arthur and Alfred.

"Guys! We need to get the hell out of here! Now!" Alfred said as he ran up to them, Arthur following close behind.

"What? Why?" Ludwig asked.

"The basement is filled with C4 Charges and they're planning to blow this place up with us inside!" Arthur explained as gasps and questions were heard throughout the room.

"Exactly so if we don't get out of here now then we're going to blow up with this place! Round everyone up and let's get out of here!"

* * *

As everyone rushed about, helping those that couldn't walk and those that barely could, Luciano stood outside with a smile on his face. Not only was the cabin smoking, the charges were also ready to go off. He held the detonator in his hand and everyone else stood waiting not so patiently. Allan had finally returned after telling Luciano his task was complete and the Italian was more than happy.

"Let's see how long it takes for him to notice." He said, motioned with his head towards Kuro who was bandaging Kasper's head. Allan nodded and moved to the side, proud of his work.

Luciano had Feliciano removed from the van and placed on his knees, facing the warehouse. "Now, as much as it would be an honor for me to kill these stolti, I think it should go to someone else." Everyone watched as Luciano forced open Feliciano's hand and stuck the detonator in it.

"You know what to do~" Luciano took a step back and watched as Feliciano looked down at the red button in horror. He wasn't expecting him to press it right? No, of course he was. Why the hell else would he just willingly hand over the one thing that could make his plan success. Luciano wanted him to press it. And if he didn't god knows what would happen. It's not like if Feliciano didn't press it no one else would. Luciano would just take it from him and press it himself. Maybe even shoot him afterwards.

Luciano appeared to grow bored when Feliciano refused to do anything. "It seems our friend here needs a bit of encouragement. What do you say fratello?"

"Of course." Leonardo replied as he reloaded his revolver of the one missing bullet. He then walked up behind Feliciano and took aim. He pulled the trigger and one bullet flew through Feliciano's foot. The Italian cried out and nearly dropped the detonator on accident. Leonardo then shot the other foot and another cry escaped. As if that wasn't bad enough, Allan decided to come up and step on both feet. The pain was terrible, as if his leg wound wasn't bad enough already.

"Do you need anymore help?" Leonardo asked with his signature smile planted on his face. Feliciano shook his head furiously, tears on the rim of his eyes.

"That's what I thought. Now do it." Leonardo and Allan went back to join the group that continued to watch Feliciano. The Italian didn't want to.

He didn't want to press that damned button.

He didn't want to kill everyone else.

But he had to. He could only hope that he'd die too and that they would all see each other in some sort of country afterlife.

He only hoped.

With trembling fingers he placed them on the button, tears began to fully stream down his face. He closed his eyes and pressed it. Instantaneously the explosives went off and Feliciano broke out into tears.

They were all dead.

* * *

Esca = Bait (Italian)

Nuòfū = Weakling (Chinese)

Poule Mouillée = Sissy (French)

Imbécile = Imbecile (French)

Mierda = Shit (Spanish)

Stolti = Fools (Italian)

**A/N: GAAAAAAAH! imsorry****imsorry****imsorry****imsorry****imsorry**

**I was fucking procrastinating for the last 2+ weeks and I had Taken wandering the back of my head and I kept thinking about doing it but NOOO! I just had to do a bunch of other random crap and next thing I know it's been over two weeks since the last update and it shouldn't take this fucking long for one goddamn chapter! I was so pissed at myself that I decided to make this an extra super fucking long chapter with a shitty cliffhanger and an awesome idea for the next one which will hopefully not take another goddamn TWO FREAKIN WEEKS! *tabeflip***


	17. Chapter 17: Burn

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN  
**

**Burn**

What else was Lanzo supposed to do when he received that damned text message? Just toss it to the side and not think about it again? Not tell Gilbert about it and let him find out when his friends and family members returned in body bags?

No.

Lanzo was not that type of person and he wasn't planning to become that type of person. So he blocked out any hesitation he had and outright shoved the phone in Gilbert's face. Then he looked away, not really sure if he wanted to find out what his reaction would end up being. The room fell silent and, for a moment, Lanzo thought Gilbert hadn't even read the message in the first place. It was just so quiet and he had expected Gilbert to start cursing or questioning him or just yelling random nonsense. But he didn't and that's what caught Lanzo off guard. When he looked back Gilbert had a blank expression on his face, but his eyes were the window to his true emotion.

Fear.

Fear and anger. Lanzo only hoped that Gilbert wouldn't attempt to cover that fear up with blind rage that would likely be directed towards him. He was, after all, a Two-P and it would seem that the most obvious reaction to the situation would be to attack a _Two-P_. But instead Gilbert stumbled over to a chair and sat down. He pulled one hand into a fist and the other covered it, leaving them on his knees before he placed them in front of his mouth and averted his eyesight to the ground.

Lanzo was unsure whether or not to comfort Gilbert or to leave. He slipped his phone away and waited for Gilbert to do anything. Anything at all. A good five minutes later he earned a reply. "Did you know about this?" He asked, closing his eyes as he spoke. Lanzo looked away even though he knew that Gilbert couldn't see him.

"Somewhat..." It was the truth.

"So you could've told me before, when I had the chance to change it?"

"Not exactly..."

"Then explain it to me betrüger." Gilbert spat, opening his eyes once again. They were fierce and made Lanzo feel uneasy. His stare was intense and Lanzo felt as if Gilbert was looking right through him, seeing all the lies and destruction he's caused.

All the misery.

Lanzo opened his mouth to speak but found the words that he required missing. And in reality he wasn't sure what to say. Was he just to tell Gilbert all the secrets he had been bestowed upon by the Two-Ps themselves, only to shatter all the trust he had earned with them only because of sorrow? Or was he just to keep his trap shut and hope for the best in the end?

"Well?" Gilbert yelled, Lanzo flinching ever so slightly. But he couldn't reply. He didn't have one. "Say something arschloch, I _dare_ you." Gilbert hissed.

Lanzo didn't take the threat very seriously at first. He easily expected such a thing to come from Gilbert. He was pissed after all. It was obvious. But what he didn't expect was for Gilbert to stand up, pull out a luger, and place the barrel under Lanzo's chin. His eyes widened when he felt the cold metal pressed against his skin. He couldn't tell whether or not a finger was on the trigger, but he wouldn't even think about moving his head an inch or so just to find out.

"So tell me Lanzo, were you lying to me this whole fucking time!? Were you just trying to use me? Some sort of 'Get close to the enemy' bullshit? Go ahead, explain it all to me. Tell me what was going on. Maybe then I'll decide against blowing your fucking brains out!" Gilbert grasped the other by his collar and Lanzo knew that his counterpart was serious, likely one of the few times he ever was. But freaking out wouldn't help him in any way. He needed to stay calm. Taking a deep breath he met eyes with Gilbert.

"Look, there's obviously a lot you need to know, but killing me won't do shit for either of us. It won't solve your questions or my own damn problems. So if you want your answers anytime soon then you have to help me."

"Why should I help you?" Gilbert nearly jumped when Lanzo's left arm grabbed his own wrist and squeezed it tight. It was a pure miracle that he hadn't accidentally pulled the trigger and ended him right there.

"Because it seems like we both have the same enemy at this point. Someone wants your friends dead and someone is going to want me dead once they find out what I've done. But we don't have time for that. The clock is ticking Gilbert, and if we don't get a move on then we might lose our last chance to do something about this. We're already behind, taking any longer will only increase their chances of dying." The room fell silent. Even Shay had stopped moving. Reality seemed to have struck and Gilbert was brought out of the violent trance he had been enrolled in.

But that didn't change the fact that he was still mad and was still willing to shoot if required. "Then what do you want me to do." Gilbert asked, lowering the gun. Lanzo let go of the grip he had attained on his counterpart's wrist, knowing that the other would likely be in a bit of pain after that.

"Do you own a car?"

. . .

Oh this wasn't good.

No not good at all.

Not once in his life was Oliver found pacing nervously for a reason this major, this drastic. It was a reason that did not just concern himself or some poor sap he may or may not have poisoned on accident in the streets. No it was much much worse than that.

Much bigger. And that's what made him nervous.

His happy-go-lucky attitude gone down the drain within a few words. Oh he wished he had never looked through those papers in that backpack. It would've saved him the stress. No, he wished he hadn't even come on this trip in the first place. Now that he looked back at it, it would seem that he made a lot of questionable decisions.

But everyone did at one point in time.

After the explosions went off there was some cheering from the more energetic ones but Oliver was far too tense to bother with any of that. Most were occupied with their own tasks at hand. Andrew had to haul a crying Feliciano back into the van before Sebastian was tasked with tending to his wounds. Leonardo had followed him and Jian boasted about how good a job both himself and Viktor had done with planting the bombs. Allan was acting as calm as ever despite the fact he had basically set someone on fire. Jean seemed to be watching Luciano while Kuro fully bandaged Kasper's head.

Oliver couldn't keep the burden of holding this information he had in secret. Someone needed to know and something needed to be done about it.

The main question was who was he to tell? Better yet, who would believe him? Who would believe the words that would speak the truth yet seem so fake in the end? No one would go against Luciano's word. He seemed to be the one that would lead them all to victory against their counterparts in the end. That's what it all seemed like. That's what Oliver thought. But it was all a lie.

A sick, sick lie.

Luciano was doing nothing but using them. Every last one of them. For his own disgusting deeds. The papers, written with Luciano's own hand, held the truth. Yet they were all burned in the fire that now engulfed the house before them. Then the thought came across him. It was so obvious that Oliver didn't even know how he had been oblivious to it all.

The one answer to his problem, and it was right in front of him the whole time.

The Brit wasted no time waiting around and immediately strolled over to Kuro. He walked as fast as he could without looking too suspicious. Not that he thought anyone was actually watching him. Everyone was occupied of sorts. Either talking or tending to others. He was relieved when he noted that Kuro was done aiding Kasper and now seemed bored out of his mind. He could only hope that spilling the secret wouldn't cause Kuro to flip out on him.

He stopped behind Kuro and tapped his shoulder. He didn't receive much more of a reaction than the other turning around with emotionless eyes that looked like they stared into the souls of just about everyone. Oliver had to admit he was a bit surprised by the expression and laughed nervously to stop himself from jumping back.

"Can I help you eyebrows?" He asked with a slight curve on his lips.

"Uhm Kuro I... can I tell you something important?" Kuro raised an eyebrow at the other's apparent nervousness.

"What is it Oliver?"

"I uh um..." Oliver stumbled over words and rubbed his head awkwardly as Kuro stared at him. It didn't help his nervousness fade away, instead increasing it as most would expect. He decided he might as well just spit it all out. In a whispered voice he spoke.

"Luciano betrayed us!" He said quickly before closing his eyes and expecting a strike to come from either Kuro or anyone eavesdropping. But it didn't come and he opened his eyes only to find Kuro's once blank face had changed and it was now replaced with an enraged one.

"What do you mean betrayed us?" Kuro spoke with murderous intentions in mind. He gripped Oliver by his vest and the Brit felt his heart nearly jump from his chest.

"H-he had us set up papers in the house. He intended for our One-Ps to read them but I did too. They were some sort of journal entries that he wrote. It was obvious that it was in his handwriting. On them was his entire plan step by step, part by part. On one of the sheets was information about our One-Ps. Apparently while he was hostage he managed to make it out with some of Arthur's notes. They stated a theory that he intended to use against us. By killing our counterparts you kill us. Gradually over time we grow weaker and weaker until we die in the end. That's why he set up the C4 in there and left them inside. He wanted to kill our counterparts, therefore killing us. That's the only reason why he hasn't killed Feliciano yet."

Kuro dropped Oliver to the ground via full realization, yet the anger had not yet dissolved. But at the least it was aimed towards another person that very well deserved it. Kuro turned around to face Luciano before making his way over there.

"Luciano you bastard!" His voice gradually got louder until it turned into a yell that was surprisingly loud. Feliciano even jumped from the van and almost ripped his bandages that were still being applied. Luciano turned quickly only to be lifted by his collar.

"You sick son of a bitch. If I had known you were going to use us and waste us I would've killed you back in World War II when you left me for fucking dead!" Even with all of this going on Luciano's smile never seized. Eyes had turned to face the two fighting. Though it wasn't really new since the two always seemed to be fighting, they didn't expect it to happen now of all times.

"I see you caught on. It was about damn time. I was starting to think you were too dumb for your own good." He tilted his head to the side slightly and his smile grew.

"I swear I will kill you you fucking piece of shit." Kuro spat. Luciano grabbed Kuro's wrist and stared him dead in the eyes, smile disappearing in an instant. The second he spoke Jean could pick out his psychopathic tone of voice. He was losing it.

"I'd like to see you try Kuro. But by that point in time you won't be strong enough to do anything. Not while your piccola cagna is dying as slowly and painfully as you will be once I'm done with you. Do you smell his flesh burning Kuro? Do you hear his screams? Do you hear him calling for you to _save him_?

"Where's his _guardian_? Where's his _savior_?

"Where's the boy that _swore to protect him _Kuro? You know where he is Kuro?

"_He's watching him burn_."

The hint wasn't the most obvious but Kuro understood what he meant. And it didn't help. He was tempted to sock Luciano in the jaw but time was limited. A life was on the line. He couldn't just let Kiku die, especially by Luciano's doings. He wouldn't allow that to happen. Even if it meant he would get burned in the end.

Kuro threw Luciano to the ground and bolted off towards the cabin. The roof was completely engulfed in flames as they whipped and roared at the sky. It was very well a suicide mission but he didn't care. He had to save him.

No matter their past. He took the role of a guardian very seriously. He was made to protect Japan and one way or another he would. In life and death. When Kuro rushed off Kasper had stood and attempted to grab him, but Luciano stopped him quickly.

"Don't. If he wants to die then let him die. It's not like he won't anyway." Kasper was puzzled at his words but dropped the topic. He took a step away from Luciano as he stood up and turned around to face them.

"Alright, everyone in the van. Kuro's a uomo morto, a dead man. No point in waiting for him. Let's head out!" He ordered, clapping his hands together. Everyone piled into the van almost automatically, but Sebastian watched Kuro sprint across the field, never taking his eyes off of his fleeing back. It wasn't until Kasper stopped next to him and followed his gaze that he broke away.

"Kuro's a fool. Don't bother with him." Kasper warned before getting into the front seat. Sebastian nodded slowly before climbing into the back. It would be a long drive home, plenty of time for him to think about it all.

Kuro neared the cabin and could already feel the heat that came from the erupting fire. It was faint at first but grew quickly and by the time he was at the front it had intensified. He placed a hand on the door and was relieved to feel it only warm. Which meant the fire hadn't reached that far yet. But it was only a matter of time until it would, he'd have to hurry up and find Kiku. He tried the doorknob.

It was locked. He'd have to bust his way in.

Dropping his sheath to the side he brought down his shoulder and rammed into the door. It was weak from the fire and only took two or three good hits before it fell off it's hinges. But it did so unexpectedly and he tumbled into the burning house.

He landed on the floor and stood up quickly, recovering as fast as he could. But he was instantly welcomed with a thick gust of smoke being brought into his face by the newly attained wind from the opened door. He coughed and gagged, feeling sick instantly. But he didn't let it stop him and instead crouched down to lower the amount of smoke he managed to inhale. Along with that he used his cape to cover his mouth. It wasn't the most reliable but he could still manage. He crawled across the ground, fighting for air but not giving up. He couldn't. Not now. It's not like he had before. He fought non stop in order to protect his country.

His brother.

He wandered into a hallway. One wall was engulfed in flames, the other was burnt. The wallpaper was missing to expose metal beams that wrapped around wood posts. Kuro didn't have time to question the structure of the building, he was in a rush. He came to a final room at the end of the hall and found the door gone, burnt to a crisp, fresh off the hinges.

In the doorway was a fire that licked at the roof. It was the source of the outbreak, no doubt. But Kuro was unsure whether or not the risk of going through the flames was worth it. He decided to test his luck and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Kiku!" He yelled. His voice was hoarse, likely from lack of hydration. He thought he heard a reply, one weaker than his own. But the sound of the crackling bits of fire and ash in his ears muffled it out.

"Kiku!" He yelled again, this time a bit stronger, yet not strong enough.

One last try. He brought together all the air he could muster and yelled at the top of his lungs,

"KIKU!" It felt as if all the oxygen in his lungs had been sucked out with that one word and he fell to his knees, getting into a series of coughing fits. While in his stage of dismay he swore he heard a more distant cough, but thought it as being his own. It wasn't until he regained his breath and his own coughing stopped that he fully heard the other, which had still continued.

At that point he knew some was most definitely there and in danger. Kuro crouched and listened as the roof crackled and creaked. A chunk of it even fell down infront of him, catching him off guard and forcing him to flinch. But it was that that made him push forward. It was obvious the house could cave in at any moment, and he would have to take drastic measures in order to make it out alive.

It could be arguable on whether or not Kuro had really thought his next action through to the fullest.

Some would say he had done what was necessary, others would bluntly call him an idiot.

Whatever you think is to your own opinion, one he would likely not be able to care less about. So Kuro ripped a bit of cloth off his arm, covered his face, and charged.

Right through the flaming doorway.

. . .

The second the charges went off everyone knew what was going on.

Everyone knew what would happen.

They barely had a chance to brace themselves as the world seemed to fall apart around them. If the floor didn't fall out from under them the roof fell in to crush them. They closed their eyes and waited for their end.

Yet it never seemed to come.

At first when their eyes opened it was darkness. Nothing but darkness and terrifying silence. But then as their eyes adjusted as slowly as possible, they slowly started to see the weak green fade around them. It was a circle that appeared to hold the concrete back, floating mid air.

A force field.

The source of this was unidentifiable until the others noticed Arthur's glowing eyes and it was then that they fully understood it all. Arthur was using what left he had of his magic to protect everyone from their failed predetermined death. He appeared to be in deep concentration and therefore no one said a word. The palm of his hands glowed slightly, matching the color of his eyes and the barrier itself.

Arthur began to mumble words under his breath, seeming to be in Latin but too hushed to be fully understandable. Within mere seconds the rocks that laid on top the barrier shot off into multiple directions, taking more with them and crashing into the ground, creating small craters. Light was revealed with each rock that left until they were no longer covered and safe.

And just like that the field disappeared.

Arthur's arms dropped to his sides in a rag doll like manner and he stared off into space. Then he started to sway back and forth before his legs gave out and his eyes shut as he fell. He would of hit the floor if Alfred hadn't swooped in and caught him.

"He's out cold..." Alfred muttered as he lifted the Brit up. The energy seemed to have been sucked out of him with that series of spells. Not only had he managed to conjure up an unbreakable barrier within seconds of an explosion but he also managed to rid of anything touching it and launching them out as massive projectiles. Now he was weaker than before and would need plenty of time to fully recover. But that was aside the fact. His magic had saved multiple countries. Had the ambush been a complete success, the countries would of died with their counterparts and their land masses would end up under Luciano's control. Millions of lives would be in complete danger and the world would likely become a hellhole. If Luciano wasn't overthrown then everyone would suffer.

That's what they were trying to prevent, and so far that wasn't working out for them.

"Let's get out of here. It was a hoax the entire time. No point in sticking around, more of us will just get hurt. As if we don't have enough wounded already." Alfred ordered. With the walls collapsed it made for a somewhat easy exit. Ivan did need a bit of aid moving over the rock and Antonio was still weak from the earlier onslaught. But they toughed through it and before they knew it everyone was out on the field again. It was now covered in rocks and bits of rocks. Along with them were shards of glass and bits of wood. It was at that point that they fully smelt the smoke. When in the protection of the force field the smell of the smoke seemed to be coming from the remains of the explosives.

But it was now with full coverage of the sky that they saw the thick black air gradually moving up.

It took a moment of realization before Alfred's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. The source of the smoke was coming from no other than the log cabin.

The same log cabin they had left Kiku in. With the small man nowhere in sight that only meant one thing.

"Kiku!"

. . .

Maybe it was because he was a nation, or maybe he was just one lucky bastard, but the dash through the doorway was a near painless one. Likely the adrenaline rush had numbed his nerves and he failed to feel the burns. Or he had just ignored the wounds in general without much care. It didn't matter to him though, the second he saw the body on the floor all other thoughts faded away. The room was very well engulfed. Anything wood burned, anything plastic melted, anything alive died. The walls were either blacked, not there, or still burning.

Kuro blindly ran over to the body on the floor, hitting his foot on something and running through a smaller ring of fire.

It didn't take long for him to reach Kiku, curled up in a ball on the floor. His eyes were forced shut, half his face covered in a thin layer of ash, blood on the back of his head assisted with a bruise. Kuro watched him cough and squirm, moving his arms back and forth weakly as he tried to break the handcuffs, a futile attempt. He wheezed as his chest heaved up and down before he coughed again. That occurred after each breath, only adding to his pain.

Kuro wasted no time checking the handcuffs for any opening. Finding none, he resorted to lifting the table. With one quick burst after multiple failed ones the table lifted off the ground. Anything on top of it slid off and onto the floor and Kuro pushed it to the side.

He bent over, catching his breath after a few seconds before turning back to Kiku. He removed his cloak and wrapped it around the other's body, playing as a shield against the increasing flames.

Then, with the minimal amount of strength he had left, he lifted Kiku up in his arms.

He could feel his counterpart shake and nuzzle his head into his chest as he began to move. Going back the way the same way he came, the roof began collapsing. Starting in the back and leading down the hallway, Kuro dodged falling debris. Once a bit of burning wood landed on his left shoulder, ripping off a bit of his uniform and leaving behind jagged cuts. He hissed in pain but continued on no matter what. It wasn't until he entered the living room that things really started getting creepy.

First he felt something wrap around his ankle, yet he shrugged it off as his own foolish imagination and attempted to continue.

Instead his leg was roughly pulled back and he barely stopped himself from falling, ending up on his knees. He nearly dropped Kiku in the process. It was then that he looked down and saw two pure white eyes staring up at him. Whatever that thing was it smelled of death and had the appearance of a pile of black slime. The putrid liquid oozed from its pores and covered it's body in a layer of thick gunk. Strings of it left a trail behind, it's legs seemingly missing. The liquid also appeared to act as saliva as the thing opened it's mouth to speak.

"No one..." Kuro tried to free his leg but the monster's grip only increased, likely tenfold. It's soulless eyes never left his own, forcing him to stare back. It's maw gaped open, the black liquid creating strings that strung from teeth.

"Leaves..." The black slime started to slowly seep off the monster's face, acting similar to wax on a lit candle. It's pale skin was revealed as was it's razor sharp teeth and batches of hair. Only it's face was uncovered, the rest of it's body remaining covered.

"Alive." It was at that moment, as if on cue, that another monster dashed out from what appeared to be the bathroom. It let out an inhuman howl, standing on it's legs and pulling it's arms to it's side for a second before falling onto all fours.

It had the same appearance of the other monster, the gross fluids covering its body. Also having the similar stench of death. But this one was a bit bigger, obviously having legs gave it an advantage in height. And even though it had these it still resorted to walking on it's hands and legs. Maybe it just gave it a bit of a boost in speed but Kuro didn't care much.

He just needed to get away.

The claws on this one were much bigger as were it's fangs. Giving an even better reason to try and escape. That was, of course, aside the fact that the roof coming in. The monster charged, moving on all fours making its movement a bit awkward. It swayed back and forth as it moved and the faster it moved the more it swayed. More chunks of the wood fell down, sunlight would of been visible if it hadn't been blocked out with the thick clouds of smoke.

Kuro kicked at the monster at his feet but its grip never seemed to loosen. It was persistent and attempted to bring it's second arm up to double the grasp and give it's partner even more time to get closer. But it wasn't allowed to as a good bit of wood fell down, it obviously still being hot as via impact with its back the creature let out a screech. The embers appeared to slip beneath it's skin, causing the liquid to bubble and making it scream more.

This being an obvious advantage on Kuro's part, he let go of Kiku and grabbed the biggest piece of wood (Which would leave a good bit of burns behind) and raised it behind his head before he brought it down on the devil spawn. The wood managed to stick itself into the general area of the neck and the monster let out another ear shattering scream. He then removed it and jabbed it into the creature's eye socket. It didn't appear to bleed in any shape or form but it was in obvious pain and let go of his ankle in an instant.

But the other monster was nearing just as quickly and by the time Kuro got to his feet it was mere inches away.

He fully gripped Kiku again and turned to run. He was unarmed and in no condition to fight. Standing up only caused him to get a face full of smoke and he started to cough again as he moved. For a second his sight was blinded and he came to a stop, shaking his head and lowering it to avoid any more.

Then he realized his mistake that came back to bite him in the ass.

Something wrapped around his neck in an iron grip and he started to gag. He met the soulless eyes and realized that by stopping he had given the monster a good few seconds. Even if it was only a couple it was just the opening it needed to gain ground and get the jump on him.

Kuro refused to let go of Kiku even if he was being choked, but his grip was poor and he was slowly losing his fight.

The monster's mouth opened and he closed his eyes, expecting to be killed right there. Not that he could. A nation could only die by another nation's hands. This monster would, if anything, mortally wound him. And the fire would kill him off. If Luciano or one of his 'followers' truly did start the fire, then it would end him and Kiku.

Once and for all.

But the bite did not come and when he opened his eyes the monster was staring at him. It's mouth hung open before it closed again and this monster spoke, it's voice sounding much more human than the previous one's and much deeper. "It. Goes. On." The meaning of it's words puzzled Kuro, but later in time they'll come back to haunt him as both terrifying nightmares and great memories. Kuro stared back at the monster for a moment before his head jolted to look up at the roof. It creaked once more and slowly began to slump downwards.

It couldn't hold any longer.

It was at this moment that the monster threw Kuro back into a window. With the force of the throw he went clear out the think glass barrier, landing hard on his head and dropping Kiku who seemed to simply roll away. It was then that he saw the pure white eyes for a split moment before the roof fully fell in and covered them.

Splinters flew and wood crackled, embers floating through the air. It seemed to be over and Kuro couldn't of been more glad.

But it was at this point in time that he fully felt the full extent of all his cuts and burns. Burns covered his neck and back along with his arms, legs, and hands. The cut on his shoulder was no better as was the bruise he received on his ankle. That wasn't even to mention that he had landed on a group of glass shards that stuck into his back and made everything just that much worse.

Not being able to hold back all the pain, he screamed. The scream was so loud it would seem that it could be heard for miles out, scaring those who had least expected it. But in the distance

Luciano smiled.

* * *

Betrüger = Deceiver/Imposter (German)

Arschloch = Asshole (German)

Piccola Cagna = Little Bitch (Italian)

Uomo Morto = Dead Man (Italian)

**A/N: Dun Dun DUUUN~  
Friendships Crumble  
Alliances Shatter  
Secrets are Revealed  
Questions are answered  
**

**And Luciano's still a douche bag.  
So yeah, I ended up writing the last scene first and the first scene last just because I didn't want to procrastinate again. I guess this was fun enough, got to use some magic and some undead necromancy shit ended up in this chapter too. Gilbert's trust for Lanzo just went down the drain and now Lanzo is stuck between two sides, two teams. And he's trying to play for both but /obviously/ that's not working out for him. Luciano's got the Two-Ps in the palm of his hands and only two of them have actually managed to sniff him out. Which hasn't really worked in either of their favors yet. Yup nobody died. I lied to you people last chapter. I said it was a sucky cliffhanger for a fucking reason ya' know. Got some good ideas for the next chapter, I'll start working on it sooner or later. =.='  
**

**Ciao~**


	18. Chapter 18: Story of Scars

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

**Story of Scars**

The faint sound of someone humming a rather catchy tune was barely heard throughout the extraordinarily big and extremely loud airport. People were bustling about, either rushing to their flights or sleeping. It was rather early in the morning anyway, and Laura was on the way to her last minute flight. She had to admit, the last thing she expected to do when she woke up was rush to buy the cheapest plane tickets to America.

When the news had arrived that multiple large countries, European and Asian alike, had failed to return to their homes after the monthly world meeting, everyone was startled. It was normal that they'd stay for a day or two extra, but when they did they usually told others ahead of so people wouldn't really worry.

But none of the countries had done this. In fact few even realized that the others were missing. They did know that a handful had stayed behind to search for one of the Italian brothers. But it was thought that after they got onto late flights and returned home.

It wasn't until after Roderich had gone to visit Ludwig to discuss certain affairs on the topic of Gilbert that he discovered neither Germans were in their household. Soon after the disappearance of the "Bad Touch Trio" and a certain Englishman along with two Italians and Asians was discovered. Interestingly enough this was all discovered over the period of four nights and it wasn't until Laura woke up this morning that she was informed of this by none other than her big brother, Abel.

He told her about it and said if she felt like it she could go and find out about it. He claimed he had more important matters to attend to then whatever problems a certain Spaniard might be going through, as he had his own to worry about.

So she quickly bought a ticket and ran off to the airport, packing two bags with only a couple pairs of clothes, United States mint, a couple of books, and her phone. She hoped that it would be enough to sustain for a couple of days, and if anything she could always ask. Now, here she was, going through the security check. She was confident that it would be a breeze. And sure enough it was.

She had gone through it plenty of times before, and most people there knew her. Not only did she go there often, she was also their country's personification. It was only respectful to know who she was.

She moved through the security check and showed them her ticket, verifying that she was there to get on a plane and no other reason. The guard looked at her ticket and then asked for her ID. She wasn't sure why but showed it anyway. After the guard seemed to look back and forth he pocketed her ticket and gave her back her I.D. "Please follow me ma'am." He said and ushered her down another hallway.

She was unsure of where she was going but followed anyway. She took notice to the fact that she was going in the opposite direction of her gate. After going through a series of hallways and doors, she found herself on the airstrip, ending up closer to a moving plane than she ever imagined. They were huge and she quickly questioned where she was being lead.

A few planes later and they were at a smaller, luxurious looking jet. "Your flight madam." The guard told her, helping her up the stairs into the jet. She was handed her luggage that had been brought by another man and entered, leaning down a bit to get through the doorway.

When she went inside the first thing she saw was the many red, cushioned seats and opened windows. The walls were tan and the ground was carpeted. There was a large walkway between the two sections of seats and up ahead was another steel door that lead to the front of the plane. Behind her was a rather large bathroom.

When she searched around she spotted multiple heads of other people. She was unsure how she had managed to get a ticket onto this plane, as she had only paid around a hundred euros for everything. She went down the walkway and quickly recognized faces.

In the first seat to the left was a certain cat lover, Heracles. Who was, as always, sound asleep. A black bag was in his lap, it slightly unzipped and a hand placed inside. In front of him was a trigger happy Swiss who sat quietly, reading a book that Laura couldn't identify. Vash looked up at her as she walked by and she smiled. He nodded in recognition and went back to reading whatever it was had had.

To her right she saw another man who she failed to recognize. He also appeared to be sleeping, his elbow resting on the window pane and his hand in a fist, the knuckle against his cheek. He was wearing some sort of ball cap that covered half of his face, eyes included, and the only real given knowledge of him being asleep was the soft snoring. His hair was parted in the front, it being a darker shade of red, and he wore a jacket over what appeared to be a white cross.

Not wanting to wake him up to see how who he was, Laura moved on to see who else had come on this ride. She was rather positive that this jet was strictly for countries, which just added to her curiosity. Next she caught sight of none other than Elizabeta, a good friend of hers. She was talking to Roderich who, when she got closer, looked up and met her stare. She smiled and waved, he nodded. Elizabeta, sort of confused, turned to see whomever was there. But her confused expression changed instantly.

"Bell!" She said, jumping up onto her feet and giving her friend a hug.

"Hey Beta." Laura said in reply. "You're here too?" She asked quickly afterwards. Elizabeta nodded.

"We had to come." Roderich said with a roll of the eyes. "Who knows what Gilbert is capable of." He added before opening up a random music magazine he likely brought along, glancing through it.

"We've been flying around, picking up other countries. There's probably a few more we need to get before we can finally head over to the America." Elizabeta explained.

"Oh, and who's that?" Laura asked, pointing over her shoulder towards the mysterious man. The other just shrugged.

"He got on when we were sleeping. We've been flying around all night non stop. We get off and walk around between trips but still." Laura opened her mouth to speak again but was cut off when the overhead speaker turned on.

"Ladies and Gentlemen this is your captain speaking. We are about to take to the skies please buckle your seat belts and wait for recognition."

Laura sat down next to Elizabeta and buckled up, placing her luggage in an overhead container. An air attendant came by and made sure they were all secured and that phones were off. Then they informed that refreshments and whatnot would be brought in later on after the jet was in the air. Discussions continued and it was a rather peaceful time. But even now Laura felt tired.

She had barely slept for five hours and now this was the perfect opportunity to get an hour or two in. Telling Elizabeta that she was going to nap for a little bit, she moved to an open seat and leaned her head against the window, closing her eyes as they took off. She had one last glance at the mysterious stranger who still appeared to be sleeping. But when her eyes were half lidded and her vision darkened, she would've sworn that, under that ball cap, she saw two green eyes staring dead back at her.

_Next stop, Romania_

. . .

When Gilbert and Lanzo got into the two door BMW it had been silent. When they got out of the driveway it had been silent. And when they got onto the road it had been silent. There were two possibilities for this and both were very like.

The first one being because Gilbert had, after buckling up, placed the loaded pistol in his lap and sat with his hand next to the trigger.

It could of also been because of the scene that had just occurred inside the house.

Silence had been imminent.

So they drove for a long time without sharing words. Not that Lanzo cared too much. Gilbert obviously needed some time to calm down and maybe even think some things through. Hopefully when his mind was a bit more clear it would be much easier to talk to him.

Once they finally left civilization and ended up on the dirt road that two cars had already driven down within the last day, that's when the conversation began. At first Gilbert was hesitant as was Lanzo to answer. Even if he had said he would tell everything he knew, it was mainly to keep his head. He wasn't sure if every last deep and dark secret that he had locked away in some far off chamber would be released from the darkness and brought into the light for others to see. It was a dangerous deed to execute for sure, one wrong step, one wrong word, and everything comes toppling down. Lanzo looked over and took a breath as they drove. They were going over the speed limit, but they had to. As they had already discussed, time was limited.

"Alright, ask me anything you want to know." Lanzo spoke, glancing over at Gilbert but finding out that he was, staring out the window, refusing to look at Lanzo. He was either deep in thought or just didn't want to look at him for his own reasons. He then turned around in his chair, leaning back and closing his eyes before opening his mouth to speak. His jaw hung in mid air for a few seconds before it closed. Then he spoke, finally deciding on what he would ask.

"How many of you are there. In general."

"As many as there are of you. Everyone has their own personal opposite. Or, in some cases, their inner darkness. Their demon."

"Is everyone in your world... crazy?"

"Everyone's a little bit crazy on the inside Gilbert."

"Why do you want to kill us off?"

"I don't but my companions don't have the same point of views. Some hold grudges against their counterparts, others are obsessed with being in control. Some just want to kill everything and everyone. It's... a bit of a disorder."

"Where did your scars come from?"

"..."

It was most definitely the last thing he had expected to be asked out of all the damn things. Anything else he was prepared for. His family, his friends. The Two-Ps, the One-Ps. Information on Feliciano, information on their base. Even the story of how they got there. But out of everything, everything he had a chance to ask. It had to be about his scars.

His hell forsaken scars.

The car fell silent again, awkward silence. Gilbert knew that he had done something wrong, it was obvious. Lanzo's scars were a very sensitive topic. It was the only explanation. So Gilbert didn't push it any further.

"It's a long story but... I suppose we have plenty of time huh." Lanzo finally spoke, his voice was small, weak. Gilbert looked over at him but his eyes were glued on the road.

"Most of these scars I got at different points in time. Usually during wars. Only a few were... by the same person. This one," He pointed to the one across his left cheek.

"Was because of Roland. Austrian Succession Got me pretty good along with Franceska. She got the one on my arm, but that happened later. I thought I was in the advantage when I was against Roland. He was on his back and I was standing above him, ordering for a surrender. He was just too stubborn but I was the same at one point. He grabbed a sword without my knowing and swung it blindly. It met either way and I was stuck with a bit of remembrance of that day. And, of course, later on the Hungarian army came in as aid and kicked my hide back across the border." He pointed to the first scar across his nose, higher than the other but much more faded.

"I got this during the War of 1870. Franco-Prussian War. I was, at least, not on my own during this war. I was backed up by my family. They didn't have to join in, they could've left it as is and had me deal with it on my own.

"But they didn't, instead they joined in and stood by my side to fight a common enemy. If anything, it was entirely my fault I got this scar and could've avoided it if I hadn't had been as foolish. It was during one of the less violent naval battles near the end of the war. We were given the chance to board a French flagship so we jumped on the opportunity. It was more for the sake of pride than anything else. We could've taken it down with our ships on their own. We also had the chance to lead them over to the docks, leaving them open to other attacks. But we still went on with it.

"I boarded first, leading a few other men with me. We attacked the French head on, it was a rather easy battle. Then Jean showed up. I don't know where the hell he came from, probably sitting below deck with another platoon of his own. My men against his and the two of us fought on our own. I was cocky, the war was already in the hands of the Germans and now it was only a matter of stopping lesser forces and making the victory official.

"So I admit it, I was showing off. I wasn't taking things as serious as I should have. And I paid for it. While lost in my stupid prideful moment Jean got me, straight across the face. If it wasn't for one of the lieutenants jumping in at the last moment, I'd likely have been a dead man." He now motioned to the scar under that one.

"This one, Second Schleswig War. I managed to escape the first without any scars, the second I wasn't as lucky. I got this on the battlefield but I'm not sure who inflicted it. It was one of the few times Roland and I actually managed to cooperate on certain terms. Trying to beat the Danish. Anyway, it was the last battle of the war. Rifles and cannons were being shot and swords were clashing like no other. Horses stumbled around the battlefield, some being startled and running off in random directions due to loud sounds, others being lead into fights. I was on one of those horses, taking out any enemies I could get close enough to. At that point my munition was low, so I had no such choice otherwise.

"As the battle waged on a renegade sword came out of supposingly nowhere. It clipped my helmet before cutting through and into flesh. And just like that I was on the floor. My helmet flew off and my horse nearly trampled me. I was hauled off to the sidelines to get assistance. A peace treaty was signed later. Nothing else is important." His finger moved to the last scar, this one crossed over his right eye.

"This one..." He sighed.

"I'll tell you this much, I hate this story. I don't know if you went through the same thing that I did, I'll just have to assume not. It was late in World War II, after Italy switched sides. We all knew it wasn't Luciano's fault for doing so. He had no other choice but to after the Allies invaded his country. But it all sent us over the edge. Already at that point we had lost plenty of alliances and this was about enough. It was down to three of us, myself, my brother, and Kuro. Japan. The stress of losing another alliance, especially one we had become so close to, was taking the toll on all of us.

"But I don't think any of us saw it coming. Not at all. Against everything he stood for, everything he had been told to believe, Kasper went against us. He gave the Allies inside information on multiple Prison Camps as well as ratting out spies. He screwed us over so much it was a damn outrage. But as if that wasn't enough, he joined the rebels. Burning his Nazi uniform and leaving with the traitors. At least that's what I thought at first you know. I was blinded by Hitler's imagine as well. I thought everything he said was true in then end. I look back and understand that I was wrong but I didn't get that before. Maybe if I had I'd still be a country.

"Anyway, one day I was leading a squad of German soldiers through unmarked territory. It wasn't a normal occurrence but we had no choice. We were looking for a couple of escaped prisoners and that's the only place we had thought to look. So we were going around, looking through every crevice we could find. It was boring for the most part. That was until we got ambushed. Rebels as you would have expected. They jumped us, flanked us, and cut us off in general. We were outnumbered and had no choice but to fight back. Yet the only advantage we had was our gear. We fought them off, managing for a while. Then Kasper came out from behind a few trees and caught me by surprise. The next thing I knew blood was dripping down the side of my face. The rebels ran off afterwards, we won the fight. But we had more wounded than anything and returned empty handed.

"You know how the war ended, I don't need to get into detail. There's more scars that I have but those are stories for another time. Their reasons are much more... brutal. And a bit harder for me to explain. Maybe another time." He ended quietly and the silence returned to the car once more. That was until Gilbert decided to ask one more question.

"Lanzo."

"Yeah?"

"What happened to your arm?"

. . .

Where the hell did the truck even come from?

The van filled with Two-Ps had been driving down the road for a good twenty or so minutes after the scream was heard. Then, out of no where, a green truck had pulled them over, being filled with four rangers that came to investigate the explosions. They stopped the van immediately, it apparently appearing a bit too suspicious to just let it pass by. The head ranger spoke to Kasper while the others moved around in the back.

Feliciano's mouth was covered to stop him from saying a single word. That was assisted with the cold tip of a revolver against the side of his head.

Two rangers moved around towards the back, hands at their holsters as they attempted to look through the heavily tinted windows. Thankfully they couldn't and that stopped them from seeing anything they didn't need to see. They talked behind there, being close enough to the door that both Allan and Viktor could hear them speaking.

They was obviously suspicious of it all and planned to open the door when whomever was inside least expected it. That couldn't happen as they'd get the jump on them. Allan and Viktor quietly informed the others, making sure that no one up front could hear them.

"Well deal with it." Luciano ordered. The two nodded, bat and shovel in hand as they waited for the doors to be opened.

Meanwhile as they sat there a pistol was slowly inched towards the front seat, the end grazing Kasper's fingers. He gripped it slowly, making sure that he didn't pull the trigger, and continued to talk with the ranger who was asking him about how many people were in the car, where they were coming, where they were going, about the explosions. Really just about anything.

Andrew watched another ranger walk along the front of the car, checking the plates of it. He placed his hand on the door handle, waiting for the moment when he was to jump out. The second the doors in the back were thrown open Kasper would shoot the ranger to his side and Andrew would tackle the one in front. No one could be left alive, especially as witnesses.

And then, just like that, the two doors flew open.

One ranger was welcomed with the blunt end of a shovel, the other with the nailed tips on a bat. They both flew back from both encounters, the sound of bones breaking being loud and obvious.

Then the gun went off and the third ranger was down.

And within seconds the fourth was too. Andrew took his head and banged it into the front rim. The blood rubbed against it but it would be cleaned off later, it didn't matter now. One ranger had a broken nose and a fractured jaw, the other was killed instantly, blood flowing off the side of his head. They hauled the bodies into the woods, somewhat hiding their tracks in the process. Just to make sure the one that was not yet dead wouldn't follow them, they shot him in the legs, immobilizing him. He would die slowly in a puddle of his own blood.

This was all before getting back into the van and driving again.

Feliciano wasn't held at gunpoint any longer, which relieved him greatly. But he still felt a pang of guilt in his chest.

It was unbearable and made him want to cry some more. So many people died as a cause of him, and he could only wonder how many more would. His friends had basically died at his own hand. The button. He could of chosen against pressing the button. Maybe he should have, been strong and just refused to do so. It's not like Luciano wouldn't of done it afterwards anyway. But he pressed the button. He killed his friends. Every last one of them. And now they were left for dead, bodies likely never being found. And it was all his fault.

. . .

Everything hurt.

Every limb in his body. They were either swore, cut, bruised, or burned.

It was a living hell.

He couldn't move, moving meant pain.

Lots and lots of pain.

So he just laid there in the dirt, Kiku seeming to have ended up somewhere else. But he didn't look where. His eyes were pinned to the sky. Kuro could hear footsteps coming near him. He still didn't move his head. He just sat there and waited for whatever was coming to him.

Then the glare of the sun was blocked out by a blackened figure.

It wasn't that the figure itself had a darker skin color, it was because of the fact that they blocked the sun out so suddenly that Kuro's vision didn't have a chance to adjust.

He winced and attempted to bring up his hand to shade his eyes, but again he was far too pained and dropped it to his side. "Get up pàntú." Yao said in a somewhat of a strong voice, yanking Kuro to his feet by his arms. The pain was terrible and he fell to his knees right after he stood. He leaned forward, hands placed against the ground in a desperate attempt to support his own body weight. But they shook under it and he fell to his elbows. Yao sighed and turned towards the others.

"I don't think he can walk." Another person walked up in front of Kuro, he could only see their feet.

"No problem." He barely recognized the voice. Looking up, he was met with the bottom of a boot and landed on his back, hard. All the air was knocked out of him and he was left withering on the ground. Alfred shook his head.

"We'll just have to move him into the van. I'm sure he'll fit in the trunk." Yao nodded. They barely cared about the deed that Kuro had just done.

He was still a monster to them.

So many reasons piled up on the list that made them want to kill him. The bombing of Pearl Harbor, the betrayal. Attacks, assassinations, threats, arguments. And to pull it all together with a bloody ribbon was the kidnapping of another country.

Feliciano was still missing, the Two-Ps had been sly and tricked them easily. Quite honestly they should of known better, it was all outright suspicious. But as they said before and they will say many times from now, they had no other leads. If anything this whole thing had it's ups and downs. Yes a lot of people got hurt but now they had Kuro. And he was someone they would just _love _to interrogate.

As Kuro was hauled off to the automobile as another pulled up, stopping at the very edge of the road and then shutting off. At first everyone thought that a couple had Two-Ps had returned for a bit of a round two, which was half right, as Lanzo and Gilbert left the car.

Gilbert, upon seeing his brother, ran up to him and tackle-hugged him to the ground. "West! Haha! I knew no /almost as/ awesome /as me/ brother of mine could die so easily!" Ludwig couldn't help but smirk, allowing his brother to hug him before pushing him off. "Ja ja, no need to get over excited. But just make sure you thank Arthur. If it wasn't for him we would all be dead."

It was at that point that Gilbert looked up and saw the unconscious Brit along with multiple other wounded. Ivan, Francis, Antonio, Yao, and even Kiku were hurt to some large extent, some larger than others. It would seem that the Two-Ps did quite their number on everybody. And they were no where to be found, likely leaving after their damage was done. That would explain why Lanzo had shrunk down in his seat when a certain white van had passed them on the road.

Speaking of Lanzo, he was keeping his distance from the group that had formed. It seemed he was watching Kuro be manhandled as he was put in the truck. Gilbert motioned for him to come closer, but he refused, instead staying in spot and not coming any closer than he found required.

Gilbert sighed at his counterpart and then walked over to him. "C'mon, no point in staying back here!" He exclaimed. Lanzo shook his head.

"I'm not going to. They obviously don't like me and it won't help anybody if I just show up, immediately being considered a teammate even though I've already betrayed people close to me, and then just give them more information they'll probably just call bullshit. Especially after what Luciano did."

"Well we have to try, there's bound to be something that you can do to prove to them you're not just some liar." The two stood there and thought for a moment, ignoring everything going on behind them when Gilbert quickly snapped his fingers together.

"I got it! You can be a spy!" He said, happy that he could come up with something.

"A s-spy? Are you mad? It's bad enough that I ditched my duties to visit you and then drove all the way out here. If I return now they'll know that I did something I wasn't supposed to do!"

"That might be but it's the only role you can manage. Go in and find some important things out then tell me and I'll tell the others. It'll be a piece of cake as long as you don't think too much about it!" He ended it with a smirk, making everything sound a lot easier than it actually was. Lanzo sighed, defeated.

"Fine. I'm a dead man anyway..."

* * *

_List of names just in case you didn't case on:_

_Roland - Austria_  
_Franceska - Hungary_

_Laura - Belgium_  
_Vash Zwingli- Switzerland_  
_Heracles Karpusi - Greece_

Pàntú = Traitor (Chinese)

Ja = Yes (German)

**A/N: FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF! ****While I was midst of editing this my browser closed and I lost around an hour's worth of freakin progress. Some things aren't exactly as I had it before but I don't care anymore.**

**Also, can you guess who the mysterious character is? (DON'T SPOIL IT PEOPLE I KNOW IN REAL LIFE!)**

**I'll give you three quick hints.**

**1 - He has been briefly mentioned once in an actual Hetalia episode**

**2 - Though he has been mentioned he did not make an actual appearance so, therefore, his design is fan made, but he has one of the most popular fan designs.  
**

**3 - He is the older brother of a character that is already in the story**

**Got any ideas, feel free to put them in a review. I think one description I put down already gives it away since only one actual OC wears a certain something. But anyway, happy guessing~  
**


	19. Chapter 19: Traitor in the Midst

**CHAPTER NINETEEN  
**

**Traitor in the Midst**

Laura wasn't sure when their jet had landed, but when she had awoken the sun was just on the horizon and they had stopped moving. Both the co-pilot and the pilot had left with the cockpit locked up so no one would wander in and decide to crash the plane into something, especially because they were sure no one would claim to have done it and then someone would have to be sued for the repair money.

Now that the sun had risen everyone else had woken up. Some had fallen asleep, as she had done, after the plane took off. They then landed in two other countries and picked up two people, but Laura had still been asleep by then and wasn't aware of the others' arrival. At least not until Elizabeta started yelling at a certain Romanian and a fight broke out. Insults of all sorts were shared and everyone woke up to the racket.

It took plenty of persuasion and a little bit of brutality to calm everyone down. It was lucky that Aleksander also came along and helped keep Vladmir under control. But that was before and now they had finally landed in the U.S. after a long and somewhat unbearable trip.

Everyone grabbed their luggage and was ushered off the jet by the flight attendants who then lead them off of the flight strip and out of harm's way. Everyone was now in the airport and the first thing they decided to do upon entering there was to get something to eat. Packing peanuts and bottled water could only do so much for someone, and it was high time they got some real food.

So then after taking a quick head count and making sure they hadn't lost anyone from the jet to the port, as well as a quick separation of Elizabeta and Vladimir, and they were off. The food court was surprisingly packed, at least twelve different food stands were open, a majority of which were fast food.

People went off to wherever they wanted to eat. There was a Panda Express, a Taco Bell, a Mcdonalds, a Dunkin' Donut, a Quiznos Sub, a Starbucks, and a Papa Johns. Those were, at least, the ones they were interested in going to and that's where most dispersed off to. Laura, not exactly as hungry as others, went off to Starbucks. She would just order a small breakfast wrap and a cup of dark roast coffee. That seemed like it would suffice until lunch time.

As she waited in line she saw a certain someone also come into the coffee shop, joining the line and paying little attention to their surroundings, not even noticing her. She was tempted to wave and crack a smile but fought the urge and decided to just to order and wait by the door. They were all going in the same direction anyway.

So with her break wrap and coffee in hand she left the stand and waited at a nearby table. She unwrapped her food and began to eat, glancing up at the shop every so often to see if the man had come out yet. She ended up zoning out as she ate and didn't realize the man had left until he pulled out a chair in front of her and sat down.

"Hello!" Laura said happily after swallowing down another bite of her wrap.

"Halò." The other replied, his accent blending in with the Gaelic term. He put down an artisan breakfast sandwich and a latte.

The man also removed his hat after noticing that a few security guards were eying him. This fully exposed his head of red hair, parted in the front as she had seen before and matched with a pair of emerald green eyes that seemed rather familiar. His appearance reminded her of someone yet she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Do we... know each other?" She finally asked after staring at the man for a good minute or so. He seemed to have been intentionally ignoring her, making sure not to stare back and end up making everything any more awkward than it already was. He was about to take a swig of his drink when she had asked the question and he ended up stopping the motion in general to look up at her.

"Why do ya ask?" He said, his accent thick and obvious, especially when speaking in English.

"It's just that... it seems like we've met before. Never mind I'm probably just confusing you with someone else I know." Laura waved her hand around, shaking the topic away. The other sighed, redrawing her attention. "Ye're probably thinkin' about m' dunderhead brother then." He pinched the bridge of his nose, though it was more out of irritation than anything else.

"Name's Ross. Ross Kirkland, representation've the Scottish Isles. Long live the queen ey?" He shrugged, fulling exposing the white cross neatly placed atop his blue uniform. Laura somewhat understood the situation now, but still had one question left over. "If you're a country, then why haven't I see you at any of the World Meetings?" This only seemed to annoy Ross even more.

"Even if I'm a country, 'm not independent. Not anym're at least. A part of the UK now. Artie goes to the meetings fer me and the rest've our brothers. I doubt he even mentions us." He finished off his sentence with a long awaited sip from his heated drink. Laura supposed that explained most of it.

Arthur was always fighting with others, far too much and too long enough for anyone to really talk to him. Especially about his brothers that have only been mentioned once or twice, and even then that was briefly.

The others called for the two of them to come over. It was then that they spotted everyone huddled over in somewhat of a group at another table. Taking their food and beverages, they moved over to the bigger table and sat down with everyone else. For the time being they wouldn't have to worry about the reason why they had come here in the first place. The thought of danger that was seeking them out and would find them later on in the day. For now all they had to deal with was each other, and enjoy one of the few times they ever managed to get together. And who knows, maybe they'd learn something new.

* * *

The ride home had been long and rather quiet. The movies continued to play but no one spoke a single word. Alfred didn't even make a sound, not even when a jump scare occurred or some random plot twist happened. He just didn't seem to care. His mind was set on making sure Arthur was had been drained so much, was so weak. But even then he still woke up midway through the ride and started going on about how they needed to interrogate Kuro and get back to finding Feliciano. He almost seemed to be rambling and had to be calmed down quickly. With help from both Francis and Alfred he settled down and slipped into sleep again.

The rest of the ride after that was quiet. It wasn't until they started debating where they would stay for the time being until their previous headquarters was repaired that people started getting chatty. It was finally decided that they would stay at Alfred's house, as it was closest and arguably the safest place they could go to.

After that the chatting stopped and not a word was shared.

Upon arrival at the Jones residence the car was pulled into the driveway and everyone was ushered inside. From there the home grade medical kit was brought out and better wound treatment occurred. Kuro was locked away in the basement, tied up and gagged. He would be left in there until they could make use of him.

But for now he was the least of their worries.

Ignoring the constant pleas for him to sit down and relax, Arthur went off to the car. In the trunk was everything that had been salvageable from the disaster caused by him who shall not be named.

Upon that small pile of things was Arthur's book bag that contained both his research journal and his magnificent and surprisingly shiny book of spells, but to anyone else it just seemed like a plain ol' spell book. But this so called spell book had been on Arthur's mind the entire drive home and it was now that he was glad it was still intact and readable, as he was interested in a certain spell that he had once heard of but never thought of using. But the reason behind never using this spell was simply because of it's core purpose. Though it had good intentions, the only time you would ever use such a combination of magic would be in some of the worst of times.

Arthur took the book and moved into the house. Though he would have preferred to stay outside in private while reading through his book, as he would be able to avoid the ignorance of others, in this case it was just too dangerous, even now. So he walked into the building and moved upstairs rather than down where everyone else was located, all huddled up in the living room doing god knows what. Yet, in the end, Arthur didn't care, at least not now.

He moved into one of the guest rooms, sitting down on the sheets of the bed that likely hadn't been tampered with for months, maybe even years. He opened up the book to one of the many marked pages. He only marked the ones he thought he might need, but they were color coordinated, being rated on the possibility of them being used and exactly how deadly they were. So, using this made up system, he searched for the spell he wished to find. He eventually did but was somewhat disappointed when he learned of it's requirements.

For one, he couldn't commit the spell on his very own. Doing so was extremely risky and could cause the exact opposite of it's intentions to occur, that not even being in the worst of scenarios.

Along with that, if you want to transport a large amount of 'creatures' at the same time in the same place, it requires a great amount of concentration, time, and energy. Which meant that not just any amateur mage could take part in it. So now not only did he have to contact more of those skilled in the field of magic, but he was also required to come up with some sort of plan in order to get their counterparts in the associated location in order for it to all work.

Arthur slammed the book close on instinct when someone entered the room. He almost let out a sigh of relief when he saw only Alfred standing there, more than confused. He stepped in hesitantly, Arthur slid down a bit and gave him enough room for a seat. Alfred sat down next to him, neither of them speaking for the time being as they just stared at each other before looking away, feeling a bit awkward.

"You know everyone is worrying about you downstairs." Alfred said as he stared down at his hands.

"Are you one of them?" Alfred didn't reply, just sort of shrugged and continued to look away.

"Tell those blokes I'm fine. Just... working." He finished off by looking down at the book in his lap.

"Aren't you always." Alfred muttered as he looked at the book as well. It's not that it was his first time noticing it, it had been rather obvious when he first entered the room and it was slammed shut. But he didn't actually get a chance to look at it.

"Spell... book?" He asked, tilting his head to get a better view of the wording.

"Yes a spell book. _My_ spell book. You ask as if you've never seen one before." He rolled his eyes. "But... this book has a key. One that might just fix our bit of a dilemma." Arthur flipped to the page and handed it over to Alfred who stared down at it in both confusion and amusement. "What-"

"It's an advanced spell used to dispel of demons, sending them back to wherever they came from. But even then it still works on multiple beings that were not originally created in our dimension. Which means it can work on your two-Ps. Only problem is I'm going to need more help if I want to do the spell successfully. It's just one of the requirements unfortunately. And if we don't meet them who knows what might happen." Alfred handed back the book, not taking anymore interest in it.

"Any idea who might be able to help out?" He asked, standing up and staring at Arthur as he waited for an answer. Arthur didn't exactly have one but then the idea popped into his head and he snapped his fingers together.

"I'll have to contact the rest of the Magic Trio."

* * *

When Lanzo had agreed on Gilbert's plan to be a spy for the one-ps, he wasn't exactly sure what he was getting himself into. He knew it would be hard and he was actually convinced that upon arrival at home base they would probably shoot him down right on the spot. But they didn't and that's what made him worry.

After being dropped off about a block away by Gilbert, he had walked all the way back. He wanted to walk slowly and take his time getting there, but he knew that if he were to take any longer that they would most definitely be suspicious. So he decided to pick up the pace a good bit before coming across the butcher shop that he had dreaded arriving at for some time now. He was tempted to sneak in. If he were to come in through the front door he could sneak around the counter and past the kitchen instead of cutting through the living room. Then he'd go into the basement and fall asleep, pretending to have been there the entire time and was simply lying there even after their arrival.

But his entire plan went down the drain when the second he was on the doorstep the front door flew open and revealed Luciano with a sinister grin on his face. Lanzo's heart basically jumped out of his chest and landed on the floor at his feet, taking his entire essence with it. He was dumbstruck and could only stand there and stare back at Luciano whose eyes shown evil intentions.

"Ciao Lanzo."

"L-Luciano."

"Mind telling me what you've been doing for the past couple of hours Lanzo?"

Lanzo's voice caught in his throat that now felt dry and scratchy. He wanted to turn back and run away as fast as he could but his feet refused to work, seemingly planted to the ground. He also found himself unable to pull away from Luciano's eyes that appeared to be pulling him into some sort of indefinable trance.

"I've been... taking care of important business." He finally replied, his voice less shaky than he had first expected. He actually sounded confident for once, even while in the presence of this monster.

"Is that so? Well if that's all then I have no reason to bother you. Spero che vi siate divertiti." He turned around and waved his hand, stepping back into the butcher shop and disappearing from his sight. Lanzo still couldn't move. He was too shocked to do so. Had Luciano just... left? Without questioning him any further? Not even glancing back at him?

This was odd.

Something was up.

Did Luciano know something that Lanzo didn't? He obviously did, because why else would he brush off the fact that one of his companions had wandered off when they were gone and came back even later even after he claimed he would watch their base of operations? Lanzo was utterly confused and had a gut feeling that something was wrong.

But once his feet started working again, instead of turning back he went straight into the shop. It wasn't as quiet as he had expected, as most people were up and doing something.

Andrew had been thrown into an arm wrestling fight with Allan. The ending victor was obvious and the brothers would likely resort to wrestling on the ground until one or the other gave up. Luciano had wandered downstairs and Kasper was playing with a stack of cards, likely preparing for a game with someone else. Sebastian was out back cleaning blood off of their van and Viktor was watching the room aimlessly from one of the darker corners. The faint smell of Opium lingered in the air and Lanzo had a gut feeling on where Jian was. Leonardo had disappeared into the kitchen and Oliver was nowhere to be found.

Jean ushered Lanzo over to his general direction and the German hesitantly followed. Jean pulled him out back, passing by Sebastian who was heading inside and closing the door behind him. The two sat there in silent for a moment behind the van as Jean pulled out and lit a cigarette, briefly asking if Lanzo wanted one before he put the pack away. A puff of smoke later and the two were talking.

"Look Lanzo, something is up. I don't know what but something is just not right. Everything Luciano is having us do is just... impair. Even for him. When we were out at that field there were two buildings instead of just one. A warehouse and a log cabin. He had us plant something in that log cabin. I don't know what, I didn't read it. But Oliver did and now he's freaking out. Really, really bad too.

"And to add to that Luciano let Kuro get himself killed. Went into the cabin after it was set on fire, never came out. And Luciano was planning for that to happen the whole damn time. He knew Kuro would go inside after whatever it was that was locked away in there. And then he just left him to rot and burn. I don't know what Luciano's planning but whatever it is, Oliver knows about it. And we need to get him to tell us. If it's got him this spooked it must be important." Jean threw the bud of the cigarette to the ground and stepped on it, putting it out completely.

"I agree." Lanzo replied afterwards, trying to seem as convincing as possible.

"But... we have to keep quiet about this. If too many people hear about this it can get out of hand quickly. And at this rate that's the last thing we need..."

"So it's settled. Only talk about this amongst ourselves and Oliver... if we can get him to tell us what's going on. If we can then maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to do something about this. But until then..."

"We're on our own."

* * *

Arthur had gone down and explained the situation to everyone. The book and the spell and the plan that he had formed in the few minutes he was speaking with Alfred. Most understood everything, even those that were a bit less bright then everyone else understood what was going on. And that fighting just didn't seem like it was going to cut it this time.

For once they couldn't prove who was right or wrong through wars or near endless battles full of blood, tears, and sweat. They couldn't pull out their guns and their swords and lead troops into fields of grass and plains of dirt, some never coming back out again with their lives but instead in a bag that would be flown back home as their families receive the terrible news. No, for once bloodshed wouldn't solve their problems and for once they had to depend on the supernatural arts to fix everything, something most in the room didn't even believe in.

They had to depend on Arthur and his fairies and his magical abilities along with that of Lukas' and Vladmir's. They had to trust their teamwork and their determination to be strong enough to make sure that, at the end of the day, everyone would be going to bed without fear that someone would break into their houses and shoot them between the eyes. Without fear that some of their families and closest of friends wouldn't be tormented both physically and mentally.

And then at the end of the day, when they thought back at it, it was all because of them.

Everyone had to admit it, everyone. They all had to admit that these two-ps of their, these monsters that had crawled into their world from the depths of hell, were destroying their lives. And it was all because they all thought they were invincible. They thought that, because it was peace time, they had no worries. No one would attack them. No one would try to put their hands on them. It was simply that no one could. They felt invincible because for one of the few times in their lives no one was trying to pick a fight with another. Yes of course there was bickering, there always was. But it never got any farther than that, and it felt good.

But despite that, despite all the odds... Luciano still got his hands on Feliciano.

Lovino felt like blaming himself for it, if anything at least half.

The other half went to Ludwig.

Even with their somewhat of a disastrous past, Lovino still allowed himself to feel good when Feliciano was around Ludwig. Because at the end of the day he knew Ludwig wouldn't do a thing to hurt Feliciano and that he wouldn't let anyone else hurt him either. Lovino knew that his brother was safe whenever those two were together. He just hated to admit it.

So when he found out his brother had been kidnapped by a band of psychopaths, he had immediately pointed the finger at Ludwig. Though it was mentally as he knew they needed to work together in this scenario, it was still there in his head. And his stubbornness wouldn't allow him to put it down and think passed it.

But then the other half of the burden of guilt fell onto him. Yet that didn't exactly happen until his encounter in the park. Running into that bastard at the most inconvenient of times, then finding out that he was the so called 'master-mind' behind the whole plan. It made Lovino go numb. Really just the thought of it in general. He had thought that he had gotten rid of him before. He thought that he wouldn't have to deal with that man that wore the face of his brother but was nothing like him. In fact he had hoped and he had prayed after Feliciano's return that the man would not come back and that his brother would be safe. But as they had always said, as he had always thought, his past came back to haunt him.

And now he was wondering if he could have changed it all. Not now, definitely not now. But before. When he had the chance, when he could of taken the opportunity he had and shifted what the future had in store. But it was too late to wonder about that now as wondering was only another bit of his imagination giving him useless hope that he couldn't stop thinking about.

Lovino's head snapped up when Arthur stopped talking. He had just explained his full force plan a second time as a few people seemed to be a bit confused. Lovino had been listening to bits and pieces and assumed he had figured it out.

Arthur would call his acquaintances and inform them of the current situation as well as their requirements in it. While that was going on Kuro would be interrogated by Yao, who had to be a bit persuasive before he convinced the others of allowing himself and only himself to speak with the 'monster'. Kiku made no comment on this.

But faith having everything set up for them all ahead of time, Arthur's phone rang. He was hesitant at first to pick it up but after seeing a familiar name highlighted in bold lettering on the front, he answered it with a bored tone. "Can I help you?" He asked somewhat mockingly. The other end of the line only received a chuckle. "Good ta hear from ye too Artie." Ross spoke as he covered his open ear, blocking out most of the sounds from the airport itself and the people at his table.

"My name's Arthur not "Artie", and what is it that you want I've very busy right now mind you." Arthur replied in somewhat of a hushed voice as he knew the others were eavesdropping on his obviously personal conversation. "Right right, I need a quick favor." _Great__. _Arthur thought, _What does he want now? Money? More liquor? His independence? _"I need someone ta pick up me and a few friends fr'm the airport."

"Wait what!?" Arthur had said that louder than he had hoped but he didn't care at that moment as his brother explained to him what exactly was going on. Without even asking before hand Ross and a handful of other nations had hoped onto a private jet flown and paid for by two complete strangers all the way from Europe to the United States, and were now sitting in an airport a half an hour or so away. Arthur normally would of been angry but when he found out that Vladmir was amongst them he was ecstatic and said he would get someone to pick them up ASAP.

Then he shut off his phone and turned on his heel to see everyone else. "It appears there's been a slight change in plan. Vladmir is already in the country along with some others and I need for them to be picked up at the airport. If one or two of you could please go and get them so you can bring them back here it would be much appreciated. Now if you excuse me I need to make another phone call." And with that Arthur left the room and it was open to discussion. They weren't sure who to send. Allow some of the wounded to go and risk them being ambushed on the way there or send some of the stronger to go and risk an ambush occurring at their new base.

As they spoke and discussed someone else snuck out of the room, moving stealthy and drawing no attention to themselves what so ever. They stood in the driveway and quickly came to terms with what they needed to do. The butcher shop was not far from there, but their wound might cause their walk speed to slow just a bit. Yet that did not matter as they had already been given a task and planned to complete it.

As they disappeared around the corner it was quickly decided that Francis and Lovino would go. Maybe not the best of the choices they had but some either already had roles they were depended on to complete or had simply decided against going. So, taking Alfred's Cadillac they drove down the road, unknowingly passing a silhouetted person that would later be the answer to everything.

. . .

Ten minutes had passed when the person had arrived at the butcher shop. He went around the back rather than the front as he would immediately be jumped by the two-ps and maybe even beaten if given the chance. Yet they obviously did not know that their successes in battle had been mainly because of him and his insider knowledge that they did not posses on their own. Everything that Luciano needed to know about all of their counterparts was seeped through him as a string of information that was very, very important.

It made him laugh knowing that his so called 'companions' had no yet realized they had a spy on their hands. They were just too oblivious, or maybe just convinced that Luciano was as sly as he seemed and that he somehow magically knew everything about them. But that did not matter as he wouldn't speak up about it until they found out themselves. As planned Luciano was waiting around back, glancing at his watch briefly before the taller man appeared.

"On time, as always." He said with a smile. The other nodded. "I don't disappoint." He added, his voice low. "And I have something important you need to know." He said, his face rather serious and without a smile. This caused Luciano's own to disappear. "What is it?" His voice was weary, and his eyes threatening.

"Arthur found out about a spell. One that would send all of you back to your dimension. He can't conduct it yet because he's missing two things. One of them is basically in the palm of his hands but the other you still have a chance to get."

"Which is?"

"The spell requires three mages according to him. The first being himself and the second being a Romanian fellow that has already arrived at the airport and is awaiting to be picked up. But the third is a boy named Lukas Bondevik who has yet to arrive here from Norway. If you can get to the airport and intercept him before my companions do then you'll have an important piece to the puzzle."

"Will you be able to stall them?"

"I'm unsure. His flight might take a good couple of hours to arrive but the others are already on the way to the airport to pick up everyone else. They might wait there for him and that leaves me with no power. But I can easily slow their production back at our new 'headquarters'." Luciano's smile returned, himself being satisfied with the new bit of information. "You did good and this will be a great part in our operation. Please contact me if anything else comes up. Just leave the rest to us." The other nodded and then left without another word, making his way onto the sidewalk and disappearing down the road.

All the while Lanzo had been listening in on their conversation. He knew it, he knew it damn it! He knew something was up. Of course Luciano had someone on the inside working for him, it only made sense! That was the only explainable way on how the bastard found out about everything. Every little bit of information was shared with him. By who Lanzo was unsure.

He was saddened really.

If he had poked his head out anymore from behind the tree than he would of surely been seen. And their voices had still been faint, even then. The speaker was unknown as he spoke so quietly and calmly, but Luciano's was much more bold and loud. But that didn't matter now, Lanzo had discovered something of new. And now his next plan of action was to tell Gilbert about it. The albino could share it with whomever he wished after that, Lanzo didn't care. But this meant the war was still raging and that this torment wouldn't be over any time soon.

* * *

Halò = Hello (Gaelic)

Spero che vi siate divertiti = I hope you had fun (Italian)

**A/N: Sorry for this taking so damn long to update guys. Over the past two weeks I've been extremely sick. I didn't think it would get too bad but my asthma kicked in and I ended up in a hospital for a good bit. Got on some pills and stuff too. While I was out of school, every time I tried to write in this my head started killing me and I just had to get off. Eventually I got back onto it and managed to make this. It's shorter than normal but I couldn't help but just finish this off as it was... **

**I'm almost out of school, summer vacation is in a couple of days. Once that hits I'll be able to upload a bit more often, at least I hope so. I plan to finish Taken within that time frame, and maybe even start a sequel if the thought comes to me. Also kudos to those that figured out Scotland. Most of you guys guessed it and I figured I had made it a bit too obvious. And of course Luciano's being a slimy bastard and Arthur figures out another bit in the puzzle. Lovino's feeling the guilt and then the final question, whose the traitor? Few hints yes but looking at the ones I did give allows you to cross out multiple people on the list.  
**

**I'd love to see what guesses you guys come up with.**

**Also, I chose against using the more popular name for Scotland that's supposed to be "Allistor" or something of similarity. A friend of mine suggested "Ross" and I found it just a bit more fitting for him than the latter. Also, sorry if his speech is not the best. I wanted to make it seem like his accent was showing, but not to the point of illegibility. I've seen that quite a few times in fanfictions and I didn't want to make the same mistake.  
**


	20. Chapter 20: Lukas Bondevik

**CHAPTER TWENTY  
**

**Lukas Bondevik**

Lanzo would of left that instant, going off to Gilbert and telling him the information he had just managed to gain. But he couldn't because if he had at that time he would of been caught. Everyone had been called in for a bit of breakfast, except those that had been sent off to the airport. Allan, Oliver, and Leonardo were out the door just before Lanzo entered and pushed him to the side. They were in more of a rush than it seemed required but Lanzo knew that they had to be, though he wished they weren't.

He moved inside and chose against sitting at the table and instead in the corner of the room on a wooden chair. Their lack of food supplies forced them to eat nothing more than turkey bacon and a small bit of eggs. It wasn't the best but it was, if anything, cooked well and satisfied their taste buds despite the minimal amounts of flavor.

Lanzo took his fair share of food and moved into his somewhat secluded location. Normally when this group of people would join together for a meal they would all have small conversations with each other. No one would really talk about the same topic and if anything people would just butt in on each other's business. But it was different today, much different, as a series of recent events caused them all to have a widespread conversation.

The biggest topic, Kuro's so called betrayal.

Luciano had claimed the reasoning for his actions of sending Kuro in to die were all because Kuro had been sharing information with their one-ps. He was seeping information out to them in secret and upon Luciano's full realization he acted how he found required and rid of a threat.

It made Lanzo sick how just about everyone believed his damn lies. But he couldn't speak up because if he did Luciano would end up using that to his advantage. So he just sat there and ate without drawing attention to himself. He wished he could block out everyone else as they bad mouthed Kuro. Some stayed quiet, Sebastian didn't speak and Jean refused to put in his two cents. But he noticed the less talkative ones such as Viktor and Kasper speaking up and adding to the 'discussion'.

Overall Lanzo was at least glad that they all assumed Kuro was dead. Especially after seeing his condition. Though he had stood at a distance and wasn't able to see everything to the fullest extent, he knew Kuro was in pain and, at that current point in time, could not fight. Lanzo knew that if Luciano found out Kuro was indeed alive he would likely seek him out and kill him. And who knew if Kuro would be able to fight back in that scenario.

So he was at least glad they were too ignorant to think past their assumptions and left it as that.

Lanzo finished eating his plate of food and moved into the kitchen. He placed the plate in the small sink, not bothering to wash it off as it wouldn't require much effort anyway. He was planning to go straight for the door and head out but Luciano had conveniently placed himself right next to it. Leaving would draw attention from the devil and Lanzo couldn't risk that.

He headed to the back. There was a small window that he thought he might be able to squeeze through but after examining further it he was convinced he wouldn't be able to squeeze in and out of it without someone noticing.

Defeated, he sat there for awhile and just stared out the window as if something or someone would come and be the answer to his problems. Incidentally something did when he heard something whizzing through the air, though not quite fast enough to be considered something like a bullet it was still a quick moving projectile. It was then that something collided with the underside of the window and Lanzo almost fell back in surprise. It was after when he stood up that he found Shay on the ground, dazed and confused.

After shaking back and forth for a bit the oblivious hawk perched himself on the windowsill and stared up at Lanzo, who had a smile on his face. He had an idea, as if he couldn't get out of this hell hole without getting caught then he could at least inform Gilbert via message.

Taking out a scrap piece of a paper and a near broken pencil, Lanzo scribbled down all the information he had. Not one thing went unmentioned and he tried his best to write neatly and still fit the words on one side of the paper. After accomplishing that he rolled the paper up, tied a thin string around it, and handed it to Shay who held it in his talons. Lanzo explained the process to the hawk three times, only hoping that he actually understood before he flew off into the sky.

He was convinced when Shay turned and went into the general direction of the German's household and let out a sigh of relief. If Shay did this right he would have a way to communicate to Gilbert without actually leaving, which could play a key part in everything. But now he could only hope the message would actually reach him and not end up in anyone else's hands.

. . .

Allan had been glad they left when they did because they managed to leave just as traffic was getting bad. Normally this would be terrible news but their counterparts were foolish enough to get stuck in it and they were able to squeeze out onto the back roads.

Normally using back roads would take longer but if the traffic was as packed as it had claimed to be over the radio then they would arrive at the airport ten minutes ahead of their others. The drive wasn't filled with conversation, which was rather odd. It might of been because the radio was being extraordinarily loud but Oliver had sat in the back and stared out the window. Allan was busy driving and Leonardo took no interest in either of them.

Upon arrival at the airport they would move into the underground parking lot when they awaited their target. Luciano had given a brief description of who they were. He would be a boy that they'd have to wait a good hour or so until they were able to get him.

All three of them were unsure how Luciano had gotten ahold of this information. He was able to find out about this person that just so happened to be at an airport at a convenient time period and that was also an important aspect in the plan. Their only explanation was that he had a source of some sort that was sharing information with him. They were even aided with pictures that showed who they were looking for, and the resemblance with the people from the two-pverse was obvious and figuring out which personifications they were was easy.

They turned into the parking lot, moving down multiple stories before finally coming to the lot and finding a parking spot. They shut the car off and sat there in silence. Now it was only a matter of waiting.

. . .

Yao had immediately gone down the basement via departure of the others. And it had only been about thirty seconds upon his arrival in the dark and damp room when the yelling and arguing started. Thankfully their 'conversation' was very well muffled but you could still pick up the anger embedded into their tones.

Most just ignored the fight as they couldn't even make out what was being said, though they supposed strings of curse words and other types of foul language were being shared.

Kiku seemed uncomfortable with the whole thing, an unbearable headache formed as he was reminded of dreadful events in the past. Alfred and Ludwig were both quickly concerned and he was ushered upstairs into one of the bedrooms where he could sleep the ache off, assisted with a couple of painkillers.

Downstairs the arguing continued. Yao, though he should of been interrogating Kuro, was more or less simply making him feel bad for all the things he had ever done. He brought up the fact that he had torn their family apart and how he was the reason why Yao and his brother were so distant. Kuro said he had done everything only to protect Kiku, bringing up how he had managed to defeat Russia back in 1905 despite the odds that were stacked against him, how he had protected Japan because that was the right thing to do.

That was what he was created to do.

But Yao contradicted that, bringing up the brutality of the Massacre/Rape of Nanking and other sensitive topics that only made things worse.

Yao watched Kuro intently as he put up futile attempts to prove himself the better man in this situation. It only ended up with himself breaking down into tears. There was no hiccups or sniffles, no sounds in general.

Just tears.

They streamed down the sides of his face but his bindings stopped him from wiping them away. Yao smiled, knowing that the other had finally broken down. "You're a monster Kuro-"  
"I KNOW DAMMIT!" Kuro spat, breaking under the pressure of guilt, stress and regret.

"Do you really think I don't know that asshole? Do you really think I didn't figure that out already? For fuck's sake that's all I've ever been told, all I've ever been called. My family never liked me, Jian always looked down on me and my brothers didn't even show me a hint of respect.

"You know something Yao, every two-p is given a chance. A chance to go with their one-p. The choice is given early and most don't even realize what it means. For fear of making a mistake most decline. I wasn't one of them.

"When I was asked I took it right away. I didn't care what would come I just needed to get away from all that.

"Then... I met Kiku.

"Do you know how much he changed my life Yao? When I was raised I was treated like trash. It was survival of the fittest. You either lived or you didn't live and no one help you either way. But Kiku wasn't like that. No, not at all. He helped me and he cared for me and he showed me the light in this dark and cruel world. It was because he did that, because he helped me, that I found it a need- no a requirement, to protect him. Even if I wasn't given the help to live I would at least allow him to have it.

"I do admit I lost it at certain points. My mind got clouded and I made regrettable decisions... I did hurt him in ways.

"But I'm not the biggest monster here. Not even close. And you're not it either and neither is Ludwig or Ivan or even Luciano. Tell me Yao, how much of the truth do you really know? How much have you been told and didn't question it a second time, simply because it was coming from an ally that you never thought would lie to you? Because, trust me, you know very little about what happened in World War Two, yet you still believed _him_."

Yao was confused and lost. Whatever Kuro was talking about didn't click his brain. Lie? Alliance? World War Two? What was he going on about.

"You know the story. The bombs being dropped on Japan. What did they tell you when they dropped and we surrendered? That the bombs had ended everything, saved the war and stopped thousands of more people from dying?"

Yao nodded.

"Well that's a lie. All of it a, lie. Yao when I say I want to protect Kiku I mean it. I really do. So when I knew that we were losing the war and that there was no way in hell that we would win in the end, I tried to surrender.

"I really did.

"I went to Russia and I went to Switzerland, hell I even went to Vatican City. I was desperate, I wanted to end this war the second I got a chance and I wanted to make sure everyone was safe.

"But no, that just wouldn't happen. That American_ Swine_ wouldn't let me. Yao the war could of ended so much sooner, so many lives could of been saved and thousands of families would have be reunited, if they would've just let me give up. In the treaty that I was planning to give I was going to allow them to take everything I had earned. Every resource I stole, every country I took control of, I was even willingly to sell myself off as a slave if it meant that the war would end. But they wouldn't take that.

"I was willing to give up my damn freedom in order to put a stop to the madness but they just wouldn't take it.

"So you know what happened, America bombed Japan. Two bombs that they dropped on my people and killed approximately five hundred thousand civilians. All those lives ruined. And you know why they dropped those bombs?

"Publicity.

"They wanted to be recognized for their superiority and their prowess. They wanted everyone to know that they were some bad ass motherfuckers that wouldn't take shit from anybody. And the only way they could gain that publicity was by killing innocent civilian lives.

"Military wouldn't cut it, wouldn't give them what they wanted. It just wasn't enough. They had to do something bigger and badder.

"And that's exactly what they did.

"It wasn't until after that that the treaty was signed and peace was restored. Of course I gave them less terms as I didn't see that pig being good enough for any of the things I had offered before. But it was because of him that Kiku and I became more distant than we were before. He changed everything. Kiku and I probably wouldn't have even started fighting if it wasn't for him.

"So Yao, next time you decide to call me a monster remember this. I might of hurt Kiku, but Alfred has done much, much worse for his own popularity."

. . .

Gilbert had been silently reading through a war journal when something collided with the window behind him. He had jumped from his seat and turned around instinctively, preparing for whatever it was behind him to jump and attack. But that, obviously, did not happen and Gilbert moved over to see what had hit the glass.

He figured it being some small object a couple of kids had thrown on accident. But when he opened the window and leant over the windowsill a bird came flying up and into his face. He ended falling onto his back as Shay flew recklessly around the room, running into walls and objects up high, even knocking over a vase and a couple of pictures.

It took a bit of running back and forth but eventually Gilbert caught hold of Shay and held the bird down as he slowly calmed. Once it did the albino noticed a note in his talons, it tied up neatly and it barely scraped despite the chaos that had just occurred.

Gilbert hastily grabbed the note and struggled with the knot used to hold it all together. After failing miserably he finally decided to just cut it open. Grabbing a pair of scissor from the drawer, he snapped the string and unfolded the letter. He then sat there and read it. At first he was a bit worried, knowing that this bird was most definitely Shay and that Lanzo had to send his own bird in order to deliver a message, he worried of his condition. But that fear was quickly relieved within the first couple of sentences.

_Dear Gilbert,_

_Just so you know and before I start this, I want you to understand that I am in healthy and living condition. Luciano hasn't laid a finger on me as has anyone else, and I am convinced that they don't know of my betrayal. But that is not why I went through the trouble of sending you this. _

_Despite not having any problems as of currently I still have a feeling that Luciano knows something. Whether it be of myself being a spy or something else he knows something, which is why I have resulted to the old fashioned letter form of communication. _

_This is the most important thing that I have to tell you, and it is that you have a traitor on your side. Someone on your team is sneaking out and slipping Luciano information. I unfortunately do not know who as I couldn't see them and could barely hear them, but they are most definitely a threat and need to be exposed ASAP. I recommend sharing this with your teammates and then having them locked down and watched for the time. If any of them slip information it'll be trouble._

_Also, Luciano has sent three people to the airport to kidnap someone. I don't know who but I'm sure someone does and this could be extremely bad. I recommend, if you haven't already, get someone out there and stop them from succeeding. Everyone's lives are on the line right now and it's up to you and your friends to put an end to Luciano's reign._

_Signed, Lanzo_

_P.S. Get Kuro on your side. He might be reluctant but at least show him this letter. It might be of use._

Gilbert read the note once, twice, three times now. He didn't believe it. They had a spy? Someone had betrayed them?

But who!?

Who in the hell would side with Luciano in all this madness and want the bastard to win, especially after everything he'd done? Gilbert had mixed emotions, both confusion and anger. He stood up and shoved the note in his pocket. He slipped on a jacket and perched Shay on his shoulder, Gilbird ending up on his head. Then with that he was out of the house and on his way to Alfred's.

If anything this note would be able to answer a few questions but it also gave many more. If there really was a spy that was working with Luciano, then that meant he knew more than what they had first suspected. Which also meant he knew about the spell and the magic and all that other hullabaloo that was supposed to stop him.

They could still stop him, but now it was a matter of working together.

. . .

Lukas had arrived at the airport late. Later than he hoped at least. He was lucky enough to get on a plane when he did but now he had no information on where he was supposed to go on where his ride was. So putting things together, he decided he would take a taxi to the World Building. If anything Arthur would either be there or be within the proximity.

So he got his luggage and then moved on, heading for the parking lot. For whatever reason you had to walk through the parking lot to get to the Taxis, as the only other way out of the airport was currently blocked off due to some sort of crazy guy walking in with drugs and a pistol on him. Security was busy apprehending him and therefore people were moving through a detour, simply because they didn't want to risk innocents being shot.

Lukas moved downstairs, sitting in an elevator for a good minute before ending up in the underground parking lot. It was packed to the brink with cars which only gave it more of an appearance of a maze than anything.

Not being in too much of a rush, he began to walk in a random direction, only being able to suspect that the exit may or may not be there. As he walked though he passed few. Those that he did pass were leaving their own cars and going upstairs to pick up family and friends. He ignored them and they ignored him, neither making eye contact and barely even recognizing the others presence.

It continued like this for awhile until everything fell silent. Lukas walked and walked, only hearing his own faint steps and listening intently for others. It took him a bit but eventually he did notice some. A group if any, walking from a distance. He didn't think too much about them as they were rather far away and would be of no trouble for him.

But he also noticed that their feet never seemed to fade away, always there and getting increasingly louder. At first he thought that their car was just nearby but when he walked in a complete widened circle he knew they were following him, for what reason he was unsure of. As the people got closer he learned of two things.

One, there were three of them for sure. All following him for unknown intentions.

Two, they had a dark and devilish aura surrounding their beings. They obviously intended to give him some sort of problems.

As he moved on he tried to remain as calm as possible. Never increasing too much in speed nor glancing over his shoulder too many times.  
Don't let them know that you're suspicious of them, and they'll be a bit more relaxed, figuring that they're safe for now.

Lukas spotted the exit nearby and moved closer to it. He looked back at the trio briefly to see how far they were from him, but was startled to find the biggest out of the three missing. When he had turned back around he ran into someone, took a few steps back and apologizing before realizing that the same man was now in front of him and smiling down with dark intentions.

"Can I help you?" Lukas asked as the two others came up behind him. He glanced briefly at them before turning back. All of these people, whomever they were, all shared similarities to multiple personifications. This was definitely odd indeed and Lukas began to wonder if this is what Arthur had been talking about over the phone.

"If I'm no assistance to any of you I'd like to continue on with my day if you don't mind." Lukas commented, earning an irritated glance from Allan.

"Actually we would like it if you come with us." Leonardo said with a sly smile on his lips.

"What would be the reason for me to come with you?" Lukas crossed his arms. He was positive this would end with a fight. Though he might not be able to take on all three of them at once, he could at least get away. After all those years of being a viking he had learned some of the best techniques for combat such as this, not to mention he had managed to keep a good bit of muscle earned during those times. You had to be strong to be a viking after all, not even to mention to be a leader of a viking trio.

"You don't have much of a choice." Allan said with a grin, cracking his knuckles for an intimidation factor. Lukas didn't even flinch, instead smiling which seemed to be the last reaction Allan had expected to receive.

"Well, then you'll have to catch me first." His tone remained monotone as the phrase slipped from his lips. A quarter of a second later and Lukas had bolted past Allan and was heading for the exit. He might not be able to fight them but they also wouldn't be able to jump him while out in the open in an airport. They would be restrained and arrested and by that point Lukas would be long gone.

Lukas could hear the feet pounding against the floor behind him, getting close and then causing him to run faster, fading away before returning again with full force. The exit seemed to be thousands of feet away and it only got farther every step. He was breathing heavily and running as fast as he could, but his legs could only go so fast and that was his drawback.

Lukas felt pressure on the back of his leg and realized that it was a foot bringing him to a stop. His knee gave out and he fell into the ground, shoulder dragging into the concrete and creating an unbearable strike of pain. He grinded his teeth and shut his eyes tight as his venture came to a stop. But it wasn't over yet.

He recovered as quickly as he could and ended back up on his feet.

Allan was first to confront him, a heavy hook that Lukas ducked under before bringing his back hand up and landing a solid strike to Allan's midsection. He stumbled back, and was met with another hit to the jaw. He fell into a car that's alarm went off as he held his mouth, tasting that metallic flavor that he hated so much.

Leonardo was next to challenge Lukas. He came up welding a knife that, though it wasn't his favorite weapon, it was effective in this fight. He stabbed and slashed at Lukas but he dodged almost every attack. Of course there were close calls, once the knife barely avoided his cheek and another time it made a paper cut thin line across his shoulder.

Eventually Lukas bolted up and got as close to Leonardo as he possibly could. Grabbing his wrist, he twisted it in the opposite direct that the joint was created to turn and broke the Italian's grip on his weapon. While he was stunned with that another solid elbow strike to the side of the head and he was down too. Now there was only one more but he was nowhere to be found. Lukas looked left and right but couldn't spot him.

And by the time he knew where he was it was already too late.

He felt something hard hit the back of his head and he fell forward, landing on the ground once again. Before he could even turn around to look his hair was roughly gripped and pulled back, exposing his neck to the fullest of extents. A knee was placed in the square of his back, forcing him into an uncomfortable position. Then the steel blade of a knife was placed dangerously close to his jugular vein.

Lukas looked over at his attacker and sure enough found Oliver, but something was definitely wrong with his eyes. They were still their aqua blue color, that was for sure, but pink swirls stirred in the center of both. The knife lingered far too close to his neck than preferred, each breath forced skin against the blade and blood soon started to pour out in thin lines.

"That wasn't very nice."

* * *

**A/N: Well I'm finally on Summer Vacation. Hopefully this will mean that chapters will be updated sooner but I can't promise anything as I'm still going to be rather busy.  
**

**I just want to tell you guys flat out that the guesses you made of Canada being the traitor are completely wrong :U The hints that were meant to be used when concluding who the traitor is were;  
1.) They have some sort of wound inflicted on them that causes them to have slower walking speeds/body movements  
2.) They have to be taller than Luciano  
And come on, do you really think Canada would betray his family and friends? He's probably one of the most innocent people there. Yes he might hate them in certain situations but I highly doubt he would go to that far of an extent.  
**

**Also I'd like to mention right now that the thing I put in about the bombings during WWII is completely real. I did not make that up and I actually researched it, and quite honestly it pisses me off. I was always told that the bombings were what ended the war but in reality it was the exact opposite. This just seems to add to the list of reasons why I hate being American. What we did was cruel and was ten times worse than 9/11 and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. If you don't believe me then look it up yourself, and if you decide you want to fight me on the topic I don't give a fuck. Approximately 500,000 civilians were killed in that and it wasn't even fucking necessary. **

**And on a final note, FIGHT SCENE YUS!**

**I think I'm getting a bit better at those, and the fight between Lukas and those three was rather fun to write. Of course he couldn't win in the end because that would just be too nice. Plus I've been dying to put in a bit of psychopathic Oliver into here, though I'm sure he'll have a bigger scene later on. And now the two-ps have another victim. Dun dun dun.**


	21. Chapter 21: Memory

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

**Memory**

The ride to the airport and back was long and unbearable. Traffic was packed with cars of all shapes and sizes, each with their own irritated driver who only wanted to get to their destination quicker than the road workers were allowing them. Francis had to admit, the ride to the port was much better than the ride back home.

For one, when he had come the first time it was only with Lovino whose curses could be easily blocked out by turning up the radio a good bit. But after picking up just about everyone and making the final decision to drop them off at the house before returning to pick up Lukas later on, the noise around the car had intensified. People argued and bickered like no other, and it could easily be considered the equality of a regular world meeting.

Francis found it impossible to muffle the sounds behind him and ended up banging his head into the steering wheel once or twice in order to put his mind elsewhere. All in all, arrival back at the house was stress relieving and Francis couldn't of been happier to have everyone get out.

The others would have to deal with this problem and the drive back to the airport would at least be a bit quieter. And knowing Lukas, he likely wouldn't talk much either way. So then they got back into the truck and were off, Lovino mumbling that he was going to take a nap on the way there as they pulled out of the driveway.

Meanwhile Arthur quickly ushered Vladimir into another room in order to explain the situation. With him out of the room, Elizabeta seemed to calm down and peace was momentarily restored. Of course it would of stayed that way a bit longer if Gilbert hadn't burst through the door at that moment, scaring just about everyone and falling flat on his face. Roderich let out a sigh, Vash shook his head, and Ludwig helped his brother to his feet.

The albino remained dazed for a moment or two before coming back to his senses and snapping into action. He shut and locked the door, made sure that no one had snuck out upon his arrival, then handed the note he had acquired over to Alfred.

It was obvious everyone was confused and just stared at the two who stood up front. Gilbert was rather antsy and wondered if the American could read any slower than he already was. But once he finished he obviously understood everything. Folding up the piece of paper, he ordered for someone to go and retrieve Kiku from the bedroom and for someone to go and get Arthur and Vladimir.

Everyone obliged and within a few minutes the entire group was huddled around in the living room. Alfred would of preferred for Francis and Lovino to be there, but if everything the note read was true then it was better for them to get to Lukas before the two-ps did.

"Alfred what is this all about, I have important matters to attend to if you hadn't noticed already." Arthur said with a huff. Alfred nodded.

"Yes yes I know we all have something we need to work on and people we need to save but this is very, very important. Gilbert here," He said looking over to the other man. "Has been keeping in contact with the spy we sent in recently. The spy has sent a letter that Gilbert has delivered and it has some... interesting news." Alfred said as he stared down at the sheet of paper. "You see," He began. "It would appear that we have a spy in here." He looked up briefly to scan the faces of others. Most appeared shocked, others remained calm. No one seemed extremely nervous, causing him to continue.

"Unfortunately we are unsure of who has been lying to us and been giving Luciano information. But until we find out who this house is going to be on lock down. No one goes in or out and communications to the outside world will be minimal. It may seem drastic but we have no choice. If Luciano is truly learning things from one of us then I refuse to allow him to gain anymore. If you have any complaints about this _please _feel free to come to me." A sadistic glimmer showed in his eyes for a split moment before it disappeared.

"That explains how Luciano knew so much about us, and how his plan seemed to be so well set up." Arthur muttered as he took everything in. "I mean think about it, at this rate there's probably been a spy since the very beginning. Luciano's figured out so many things and managed to put together such a well made plan.

"He knew when Lovino had gone out to the park and jumped on the opportunity of him being alone.

"Then he purposely got himself captured so he could allow his companions to come in and wound us while no one else could help, he even convinced Kiku to come to a deserted location with the rest of us so we could save who we supposed would be Feliciano.

"Then he was able to capture Lovino after Antonio left the household and stage him as the captive in the middle of a rigged warehouse.

"It was then that he blew it up, attempting to kill all of us but with little success.

"Yet he had still come prepared with gasoline and matches to set the cabin on fire with Kiku trapped inside, forcing Kuro to go in on a suicide mission." Ludwig agreed.

" We should of realized sooner that someone was slipping him information, but we didn't, until it was too late..." And just like that conversation broke out.

Alfred shook his head with a sigh, knowing that now at this rate they wouldn't be able to get back on track as easily as he had hoped. But trying to regain control would be even harder. Giving up on that, Alfred helped Kiku back to the guest bedroom and people slowly began to get back to some form of work.

But in the corner of the room stood someone whose broad figure was hidden away by the shadows. Their once smiling face was now stern and rather irritated.

They had known before that Lanzo would find out about a spy, but they hadn't expected for him to find out so quickly. This was both shocking and rage inducing, and now that means of sneaking out would result in exposure they planned to gather as much information as they possibly could in the time they had. Until then it was only a matter of staying as secretive as they could without drawing attention to themselves.

. . .

Yao sat in one of the four cushioned chairs in the room, staring down at the ground and deep in thought. His knuckles hurt, the skin covered in blood. Not his own blood, no not at all. He had tried to get those thoughts out of his head, put his mind on something else.

Yet he failed to forget those words.

He couldn't help but wonder, was that the truth? Did the American man he knew and trusted during the long and dark days of war have a cruel, pride induced personality that he hid away from the rest of the world so skillfully that no one had even hinted to it?

Truly Kuro was only fibbing, it wouldn't be the first time he had. But still he couldn't help but wonder...

Then he took out his petty anger and confusion on someone else. It may have been cruel but it didn't matter. He had suffered much worse in the years and Kuro deserved to feel some of that pain, some of that... burden. Yet he knew violence didn't solve anything, and he hadn't even done his own job of actually attempting to get some answers out of him.

But it seemed like he wouldn't have to as Heracles showed up after he had heard from a few that they were having trouble interrogating a prisoner. Though he wasn't very fond of interrogation, he wanted to be of use and volunteered to have a go at him. But Arthur had shooed him away, telling him to talk to Yao and saying that he had something else that he needed to attend to.

So here he was now, Heracles nearly giving the old Chinese man a heart attack and feeling bad afterwards. He was briefly yelled at before the other calmed down and he was given a chance to explain himself. He simply stated that he wanted to try and help with the interrogation and that he had a bit of a method to break whomever he was to speak with, though that was half the truth.

He had expected Yao to easily see through his lies and shun him for it but was instead told to "Go ahead" and to be careful, as the prisoner was a tricky one with plenty of honeyed words and charisma. Heracles paid little attention to this as he doubted the prisoner could persuade him in such ways.

When he entered the basement he noticed the eery silence quickly, that assisted with the darkness and soon after, creaky floorboards. But it was a few steps later that the prisoner was revealed, tied up and centered in the room with a single light on, illuminating few.

The prisoner was breathing heavily, lost in their own thoughts and paying little attention to their surroundings as they struggled to stay conscious. Heracles moved closer, quiet and soft, he tried hard to make his appearance unknown to the other. But this sneak was short lived as their head jolted to the left in his general direction.

"Who's there?" They asked, their voice raspy yet pained. Their face being not viewable, identification couldn't be determined.

Heracles couldn't help but think that their voice had a hint of familiarity to it, but shrugged it off and moved in front of them. Their eyes were hidden by the shadow of their bangs, blood seeped down the side of their face thanks to an average sized laceration across the top of their forehead, allowing blood to flow out though at a slower rate then what would be considered life threatening.

Along with that their entire upper body was wrapped in a series of bandages, the thick medical grade material covering whatever wounds that had been sustained but also exposing the many tattoos scattered across their body.

It was also now that Heracles realized, though rather late, that the forehead wound had caused a small puddle of blood on the ground with droplets falling into it, adding to the mass which, coincidentally, he had managed to step in. Removing his shoe from the pool, he'd likely have to take it off later, unless he planned to tread bloody footprints all throughout Alfred's house. But that was a matter for a different time, right now this person was obviously hurt and he needed to make sure that he helped them as best he could, prisoner or not.

Neither him nor the other had made eye contact, and the other had kept his head relatively lowered to keep most of their features unknown.

"One moment." He muttered in his regular calm tone as he left to go upstairs, leaving his shoe behind as planned, and snatching the medical kit from the cabinet.

He managed to re-enter the basement without question and found the other still in their same pained positioned. He moved over and placed the box down at the feet of the chair, leaning over to remove the required supplies consisting of gloves, a bottle of water, a few clean rags, bandaging, and rubbing alcohol.

"Who... are you?" The other asked, voice strained yet curiosity lingered in it. "You seem familiar." He added on, red eyes poking out from under his bangs for the first time since Heracles' arrival.

"I could say the same about you. I'm Heracles Karpusi of Elláda. And you?"

The room fell silent for a moment as Kuro fully took everything in. He was shocked more than confused, he was at least glad that his suspicion was indeed correct.

"Ah... The descent of a great ancient. I thought you looked a tad familiar, for two different reasons of course. I am Honda Kuro of Nihon."

His eyes widened slightly as that name ran through his head. Heracles began to remember a series of thoughts combined into one memory that had happened what seemed to be an eternity ago and he had very well forgotten after the certain... crisis. His thoughts broke up again when his head raised and he heard Kuro chuckle.

"So you remember me too I assume?"

"It would seem."

"I figured. It does seem to be a bit of a topic that would be hard for someone to simply forget don't you think?"

"Exactly. I doubt I could forget such an encounter, even if I had to be reminded of it in some way."

"Like right now?"

"Like right now."

And silence, just like before. The two just stared at each other for a moment before the Greek remembered that he had intended to patch up the cut on Kuro's forehead which was rather hard to ignore. Slipping on the gloves, he folded one rag over and poured water onto the top. Then he moved over and placed a hand under the other's chin, raising it so that Kuro was forced to look at him.

"I'm going to clean the blood off of your face. Please, try not to move." His voice remained monotone as expected and Kuro rolled his eyes.

"Not that I have much of a choice." He finished by fighting against his restraints, achieving nothing aside from proving a point. Heracles ignored the remark, starting the process of wiping off blood and applying pressure at the same time, changing which side of the rag he was using when required.

It was quite a chore as the blood had accumulated since before when he had first prepared to cleanse it. The blood flowed from the gash down his face, over his left eye, and then continued until it ended up at his chin. From there it either stopped, dripped down, or continued going and rolled down in small strands down his neck. Cleaning it all before the blood dried would be hard, but for now he was mainly focused on simply stopping the bleeding by applying the needed amount of pressure.

While he did so Kuro remained quiet and moved at a minimal amount. He was in pain, but it was less than obvious. Eventually the bleeding stopped and Heracles moved on to cleaning the blood off as best he could for the time at hand. He still needed to disinfect and wrap the wound before it got worse.

Placing the bloody rag down he also removed the gloves but only to replace them with a new pair. Then pouring the rubbing alcohol onto a clean rag, he began patting it over the cut. This received a much bigger reaction as Kuro bit his own lip to the point of drawing even more blood and started moving around a good bit, though he tried to stop himself from positioning his head any other way.

"Brings back memories doesn't it?" Kuro hissed as he tried to put his mind elsewhere, but it not exactly working. Heracles gave a short reply before continuing.

After a bit of struggling the wound was cleaned and then bandaged. Heracles began to put everything away as neatly as possible, also placing the bloodied and/or unusable items in a plastic bag to be disposed of later. All the while Kuro stared at his backside, rather dumbstruck for multiple reasons.

"Why do you remember me Heracles? You know you really shouldn't remember me." Heracles stopped what he was doing, slowly putting down the few things he had in hand. He looked over his shoulder but didn't speak. He didn't have a reply, what was there to say? He didn't even know. The memory itself was blurry on it's own.

They had met on accident.

_It was after World War II, during the time most countries were rebuilding themselves. His own had been doing well at that point and he decided it was high time he take a visit to his friend Kiku. He had, after all, received a good burden during the war and ended up heavily wounded at the end of it. He just wanted to be assured that his friend was indeed okay and that his recovery was going as planned._

_He managed to snatch one of the few tickets to Japan and flew out immediately. It was third class seating but that didn't matter too much to him, he just wanted to arrive a quickly as possible with minimal issues._

_Upon arrival in Japan he drove about two and a half hours before he managed to finally get to his real destination. Kiku's house was located out in one of the many bamboo forests. The location allowed Kiku to have the peace and quiet he needed, especially after hard times of war, and also allowed him to be alone when he felt it being required. The only hard part about it was the issue of getting there, driving could sometimes be troublesome and the lack of signs made it a hard place to identify._

_That was one of the reasons why other times he would stay in his city home, aside the fact that he could easily attend meetings and other business with his current country's leader(s)._

_Heracles had noticed some rather peculiar things right off the bat once he had neared the home._

_For one, the front door was open ever so slightly and the house was dark. He had visited a few times before and Kiku always closed and locked his door, even though the thought of burglary being of few, wild animals could still wander in if given the chance. Another thing was, even if the house was unoccupied at the moment, Kiku would always leave a single light on, whether it be a candle or a lamp, it would be on. This was because if he was to wander into the forest, which he often did, it would make his way back much easier to find, especially in the dead of night._

_From then on out Heracles had approached the residence cautiously. This abnormal behavior pointed to multiple conclusions and he could only hope that this meant Kiku was simply not there at this household and was safe._

_He had crept through the front door, moving quietly and scanning around to see if anyone was inside. He hadn't seen anyone at first but that may of been because the house had quite literally been encased in shadows. He continued to move around when he eventually came to the master bedroom. He could faintly see the outline of someone sleeping underneath a thin blanket. Their figure resembled Kiku's, but Heracles was still rather suspicious._

_He had moved closer and was able to confirm that, whoever they were, Kiku or not, they definitely looked like him. Stopping in his trail, he decided to leave them alone because if they were his Japanese friend, which he suspected, then waking them up from slumber would both be rude and unneeded. He would just wait for them to arise and then at that point greet them. Until then he decided to lock up the place and light a few candles. Which is exactly what he did._

_Afterwards the house, though not the brightest, was at least lit up in the main rooms and the doors were locked so nothing would wander inside without his consent. Then he just sat around and waited, growing a bit impatient but trying not to show it._

_He did think once or twice that someone was moving around in the other room, but brushed it off as his foolish imagination playing tricks on him and went back to staring out a window. By that point in time the sun had already set and now the moon was rising and the stars were appearing one by one. All the while he had been oblivious to the other figure moving around the room stealthily, as expected._

_Kuro moved about, observing the only other person that had somehow managed to enter his humble abode. The handle of a katana was gripped shakily in his sweaty hand, himself trying to stay as graceful as he could despite the fact that he was currently wounded and bleeding heavily._

_Whoever this person was, they were not welcome and he wanted them to leave as soon as possible. But at this point he were unsure in his own abilities to fight them off, even with a weapon. Already feeling light headed at that point, he moved closer and hoped he wouldn't pass out. As he moved he unintentionally made much more noise, this time drawing Heracles' attention who first looked over his shoulder before jumping to his feet and turning around. He was both confused and shocked but refused to show it, having more concern for the other who appeared to be bleeding from a hidden wound._

_"W-who are you?" Kuro asked, Heracles giving them an off glance. They sounded like Kiku, they looked like Kiku, but they definitely weren't._

_"Kiku?" The other cringed._

_"Don't say t-that name." He finished his sentence just in time to break out into a series of coughs, resulting in himself spitting up a small amount of blood and drawing Heracles' attention even more. He moved closer but the other took a step back._

_"Don't touch me."_

_"You need help."_

_"I don't need anyone's help."_

_"You're bleeding."_

_"Great observation."_

_"Your wounds look severe."_

_"Why do you care?"_

_"Well I don't want you to die." And it stopped there._

_The calm session of arguing seized right then and there as Kuro stopped to think about what had just been said and quite honestly didn't believe it one bit. He chuckled, fighting back the pain as he turned around and moved towards one of the chairs._

_"Very well, we'll have it your way." He placed the katana at his feet as he sat down, grimacing and spitting up more blood. Heracles acted fast, grabbing everything he could and moved quickly over to Kuro. His first plan of action was obviously to the stop the bleeding, as it had already accelerated past safety standards and was now a major problem._

_By the time he had even returned into the living room the blood had seeped through the fresh kimono Kuro had slipped into and the entire front was now soaked with the crimson liquid. This was obviously a obstacle and the top of the robe was slipped off, exposing all of the gruesome wounds that had been hidden beneath the cloth._

_The most noticeable was a long, thin cut that went from the top of his shoulder all the way across his chest. It wasn't the widest but was most definitely the deepest. Along with that on his left arm were multiple small cuts going all the way down and stopping just above the wrist, suggesting that he had used his own arm as a form of defense against multiple attacks occurring in succession. To add to that was a stab wound in the center of his abdomen. And lastly a gash above his eyebrow._

_Heracles had taken action instantly, it was no question that this person was definitely a country. Any other human would have died from wounds like these by now. The fact that they were still alive, though barely conscious, was remarkable._

_As the treatment began a series of curse words in multiple languages were both muttered and yelled. Neither spoke to one another directly the entire time, and it wasn't until afterwards when Kuro was on the verge of unconsciousness that they finally spoke._

_"Why do you care so much?" Kuro asked as he ran two fingers over the bandages, at that point having changed out of the stained kimono and into much more comfortable clothing._

_"About what?" Heracles as back nonchalantly as poured freshly brewed tea into two cups._

_"About what happens to me." Kuro muttered as he was handed a cup of tea. He gripped it shakily but took a long sip to calm his nerves._

_"You remind me of someone I know. Someone who I wouldn't let die, especially when I can do something about it. I-"_

_"Are you talking about Kiku?" Heracles nodded._

_"Of course..." Kuro sighed, finishing his cup of tea quickly. "And I'll ask this again." He placed the cup on a nearby table. "Who are you?"_

_"Heracles Karpusi of Greece. And you?_

_"You can call me Kuro and nothing else."_

_"Are you a friend of Kiku?"_

_"You could... say... that." And then within an instant without a previous notice, Kuro passed out on the chair. Heracles had checked on him the second he had the chance but realized that he had likely just be energy deprived from all the blood loss._

_Deciding to move him to the bedroom and letting him fall asleep, he picked Kuro up in his arms and carried him to the room. He was light as expected and the trip was a near painless one. Afterwards he had stayed for five days, two extra than he had previously planned, mainly to care for Kuro._

_Kuro did appreciate his help but never commented on it, usually just muttering a playful insult or two before moving on. It stayed like this for the time that Heracles was there but he never complained as he only wanted to make sure that Kuro didn't end up dying on him. And he knew his decision to stay was correct when Kuro randomly became light headed or began spitting up more blood at the most inconvenient times. _

_Yes he still had the question of where Kiku was but at this moment he could only convince himself that he was somewhere else and safe._

Heracles had left at the end of the fifth day and returned home. It was about two weeks afterwards that he learned of who exactly Kuro was. Though he had learned through seeped information as whenever he questioned Kiku about it he would either change the subject or receive a vague answer, he did find out about the fights going on between both Kiku and Kuro and the reasons for the wounds that Kuro had been suffering from.

He didn't find out much past that but always had a feeling that Kuro was nearby and, in a way, he was. But after a while he just seemed to forget as things had gotten back to as normal as they possibly could, and his time had been spent doing other things of importance instead of wondering about the past.

But now here he was again, with Kuro in a similar situation as before though under much different circumstances. He could only wonder what Kuro had done to get onto everybody's bad side, it definitely had to be bad if he had been tied up. And the wounds that he had previously sustained brought up even more questions, along with the burn marks that were exposed yet barely.

"I remember you because of how stubborn you are." Heracles commented as he closed up the medical kit. He stood up and moved in front of Kuro.

"What did you do to piss everyone off?" He questioned, eying the binds.

"It's a long story..." Kuro replied back in a hushed tone.

"Well we have plenty of time."

* * *

The three had been rushed the second Lukas had been knocked out with a strong hit the back of the head. Their time had depleted quickly and with assistance of the car alarm people were obviously being alerted. Before they had the perfect chance to get away with everything thanks to the unintentional distraction near the front of the airport, but now people were starting to catch on that something wasn't right and that cut the few minutes they had in half.

Dragging Lukas to the van was more of a hassle then suspected. They had to stay on their toes and whenever someone got close they ducked down and tried to hide as best they could. It was hard and time consuming, which was the one resource they were extremely low on. Once they finally got back to the van they tied Lukas up and left him in the back with Leonardo who needed to make sure that their new prisoner didn't try anything.

The drive back took less time then they had planned but it was just enough time for them to hear two reports on the radio. One was about the assault at the airport in the parking lot, followed by the situation that had unfolded itself near the front.

Then second report was one on multiple missing rangers that had gone out to investigate a suspected explosive discharge and never returned or reported in.

This was a bit nerve wracking as it meant that people were slowly starting to catch up on what they had done. If they were to get information on suspects, though it wasn't likely, it could either hurt them or play in their favor depending on how stupid the police force was.

They arrived back to their base without much of an issue and Luciano was pleased when he saw them drag Lukas, who was now conscious, through the house and into the cell so he could join Feliciano. He did put up a bit of a struggle and they had to pop him in the gut once or twice until they managed to get him locked up. They decided to leave him restrained and if Feliciano were to decide to let him out then he could.

. . .

Feliciano had been awake at that time and was able to watch most of the struggle go down. He was hiding as expected and was still pained from the earlier encounter with the two-ps after being shot multiple times in a period of three hours. He ended up leaving both shocked and scared for his life. He knew that they weren't afraid to hurt him, but he was still debating whether or not they were willing to kill him. It seemed like something they would be prone to do especially with the constant threats, but he couldn't help but wonder.

They had thrown Lukas in and then slammed the door shut, locking it again and leaving it as is. Feli was unsure what he should do as he hadn't expected for them to capture someone else, but he had definitely put up a fight if anything. He had crawled over on his hands, refusing to use his feet and risk further wounds, and first checked to see if Lukas was awake.

He knew the answer when he was met with ice cold eyes. He almost fell back out of shock but held in a yelp and moved towards his hands which were restrained behind his back. He started to untie the knot but found it to be skillfully put together and he often lost grip of it and was forced to start over again. This was irritating for the both of them but he was eventually able to break the bind and moved away to give Lukas his needed space as he untied his feet which was a much quicker process.

Once he was freed the two stared at each other for a moment. Lukas noted in his head that Arthur had said someone was in trouble and in dire need of help. He could now safely say that Feliciano was that one person, and if he wasn't then he was stumped.

"So... they got you too?" The Italian finally asked after a brief moment of silence.

"It would seem." Lukas replied back, taking a quick glance at the room. "Smells like dritt in here." The other agreed.

"How long have you been held up in here?"

"Non lo so. I can't tell the difference between night and day most of the time."

"That's understandable."

"You're not safe here."

"I figured as much."

"We have to get out."

"Don't worry." Lukas started. "This'll be over soon."

* * *

Elláda = Greece (Greek)

Dritt = Shit (Norwegian)

Non lo so = I do not know (Italian)_  
_

**A/N: Well this took f**ping long enough. I keep getting hurt damn it! At Martial Arts I bruised my wrist and my elbow really bad. I couldn't bend my writing arm for a few days and I could barely move my wrist too. Then once I finally got a chance to write I couldn't come up with shite for this chapter and my dad decided to put me in a bunch of activities. Combine all this with laziness and lack of encouragement, and then this ends up taking freakin forever. **

**Plus I had to keep rewriting a few of the scenes. Do you know how hard it is for me to not write suggestive material about a pairing that like only three people actually ship (myself being one of them). **

***sigh**

**It was hard.**

**But on another note I'm planning to end this story soon. Not sure how soon but it will be soon. There might be four or five more chapters before it finally ends which I am rather excited about. But then again that's only if everything goes as planned.**


	22. Chapter 22: Oh Great

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO  
**

**Oh Great**

It was odd having someone to talk to. Obviously he always enjoyed having a nice conversation, but that was before this all happened. Before the kidnapping and the torment. Before all hell broke loose.

But after being locked up in the dark for god knows how long, it just seemed a bit awkward to talk to someone else, friend or foe. He wasn't sure what to say or how to say it. It was all just so weird and foreign. Whenever he did speak his voice seemed so odd, so unfamiliar.

At times it was nerve racking. Otherwise it was just scary.

It surprised him how after such a small time, he suspected a week though telling time was rather hard in his cell, that his state, both physical and mental, had degraded greatly.

He had always heard stories of how people lost it when they were alone in dark and often secluded areas, but even then it was over normally a period of a couple of weeks, sometimes months. But it hadn't taken nearly that long for it to happen to himself, and it only scared him more.

He likely would've remained in his lonely, scared state if Lukas hadn't arrived. The two spoke back and forth and though it was mostly Feliciano stumbling over his words and trying to stop himself from looking like a fool, yet the Norwegian didn't seem to think much of it. He was after all a bit preoccupied, trying long and hard to find an exit or some form of tool.

But Feliciano had already looked everywhere he could and kept repeating that there was no way out, yet Lukas continued to ignore him. He looked through every crevice and every hole. He traced every crack and not one inch of that room went uncovered. As Feliciano had said before, there was nothing. Lukas was a bit disappointed but had expected it and dealt with it.

Afterwards the two ended up just sitting down and spoke about what exactly was going on.

Feliciano shared his experience with the two-ps, catching Lukas up a good bit on the events that had occurred recently. Obviously he couldn't say exactly everything, only being able to speak of things that he had seen or been apart of. But that was plenty of content on it's own and they were able to sit there and have a long conversation. Lukas rarely commented though, keeping quiet and only saying one or two things every so often.

Later on they suspected it to be late and decided to get some shut eye. Lukas hadn't slept during his flight and was at that point rather tired. Feliciano wasn't exactly but didn't want to bother the other and after a few moments was finally able to fall asleep. They awoke later on in the day.

Lukas was up first and Feliciano likely wouldn't of woken up if it hadn't been for all the yelling going on. He had jumped from his spot when a shockingly loud voice echoed through the room. Panicked, he quickly sat up and looked around in an attempt to find out what was going on. He calmed down a bit, though not by much, when he saw Lukas fighting with someone through the small window in the door.

Feliciano's mind was still trying to piece everything together and the words they shared just didn't connect correctly. They were in a language he understood but his brain just didn't seem like it wanted to do it's job and put the words into sentences. He slid back against the wall and rubbed his eyes, trying to stop the blurriness that had coursed through his vision. One eye ended up closed as he rubbed the other, yawning.

He could barely see the door being thrown open, slamming hard against the wall and causing Feliciano to duck down instinctively.

He watched Allan try to grab at Lukas who had obviously insulted him but was held back by his own brother who placed him in a locked nelson hold. Allan tried to break free but couldn't and was also unable to swing any punches. He couldn't kick either and when he tried to it just looked a tad awkward. But his outburst had also drawn plenty of attention from others.

A few more arrived and people more or less struggled to pull away a raging Allan who was a literal second away from choking Lukas out. All the while the culprit seemed unphased by the outburst altogether and remained calm, at least on the outside, as the other was dragged away.

Feliciano was still confused overall and didn't get how this all started. He figured someone had come for one of them and Lukas ended up intercepting them. One way or another Allan was now pissed and someone was definitely going to get hurt. They pushed Allan back down the hallway but he was still set on getting his hands on Lukas. A good five minutes later and he was out and the two-ps began to do what they had intended to do in the first place.

Kasper and Sebastian restrained Lukas and then escorted him elsewhere, closing and locking the cell door before Feliciano could do anything.

He shakily climbed to his feet and then stumbled over to the door. "Lukas!" He cried out, slamming a hand onto the steel unintentionally, hurting a few fingers but ignoring the pain for the most part. He looked out the window but by that point they were gone. He fell to his knees and applied pressure to his hand, popping a couple of bones as he did. He didn't know what the two-ps intended but he knew it was not good.

. . .

"You were supposed to restrain him Allan, not rip his freakin lungs out!" Andrew snapped, struggling to keep a hold of the other. Allan continued to struggle before pulling his elbow back and popping his brother in the jaw. Realizing that he was on the right path, he pulled his elbow back again and again, each time hitting harder and harder until he finally hit in just the right spot and the hold broke.

"Dammit Al!" Andrew spat, tasting blood in his mouth, a disgusting flavor. He grabbed for his brother a second time but ended up having his legs thrown out from under him with a well placed sweep. While he was on the floor Allan jumped up and ran off towards the cell hallway again, still in his fit of rage.

As he neared the hallway he thought he had a home stretch but that was all cut short when he felt a sudden stabbing pain in his shin. He fell face flat onto the ground, instinctively gripping his shin as pain surged throughout the limb. He grimaced and rolled onto his back trying not to cry out, when he felt the far too familiar feeling of cold steel against his neck. He opened an eye to see Viktor standing above him, shovel pressing against his vein.

"Damn commie!" Allan hissed, now knowing exactly who had stopped him.

"We don't have time for your immaturity Allan." The other scolded.

"Shut up..." He replied, sitting up as the blade end of the shovel was removed and he was allowed to move a bit more freely.

"He's right you know." Andrew muttered as he covered his mouth with a napkin, spitting into it and then looking briefly to identify blood before folding it up and throwing it into the trash. "We have a job to do. And I'd prefer that you didn't muck it up thanks to your over prideful self."

"Yeah yeah yeah whatever. And it's not like I haven't done anything to help us! If anything you should be the one starting to haul ass. You've barely done shit!"

"Stop arguing idiotas, we have no time for your pointless bickering." Sebastian barked as Kasper moved Lukas to another area of the shop. Upon sight of him something sparked in Allan's eyes that showed more rage, but he was obviously holding it back for the sake of others.

"Good..." Sebastian muttered as he followed Kasper but instead of heading into the "chamber" as he was he went outback. He had figured he was alone outside but quickly learned otherwise.

Two people were out and he soon identified them to be Jean and Oliver. He didn't know what they were doing outside but it definitely seemed to be without good intentions. He knelt down behind a small container, within general range of the two as they spoke and he began to eavesdrop.

"We just need to know what exactly is going on Oliver, okay? Lanzo and I are both concerned about what's going on and it seems like you know something we don't. We just want to set things straight and make sure that our little pact is for the better, not worse."

Sebastian caught that rather quickly. He had already known things were getting rather suspicious. Luciano was making decisions that before he seemed like he never would. Even though Luciano and Kuro bickered and fought often, Sebastian never thought either would actually kill one another. It obviously struck as odd.

And now Jean and Lanzo had some form of a pact? What this was about he questioned even more and now he was far more interested then he had been at the beginning.

"What did you see?" Oliver remained silent and Sebastian peeked out briefly to see that his face was pained.

"I-I'll tell you only because I trust you... But I don't want this getting around okay? It would be bad for just about everybody..." Jean nodded.

"You can trust me Angleterre. I won't tell a single soul, human or country alike." Oliver shakily sighed.

"Alright if you say so..." Sebastian peaked out again. He spotted Oliver's face which was scared and Jean's whose was dead serious. Oliver took a deep breath then started, Sebastian ducking down again so he could listen and hopefully not get spotted.

"I know you already figured some things out and... and I guess Lanzo did too. But there's more to this then you know, then anyone knows. I-I think Kuro might of known this too or... maybe was just... getting close to and that's why Luciano killed him.

"But we've all been lied to. Luciano... he's set up this kind of an illusion and put it in front of our faces and carved it into our heads. He's smart I'll give him that. He tricked all of us, everyone last one. And we all just walked into it. Right into his trap...

"What trap?" Jean asked, Sebastian leaning a bit closer so he'd be able to hear everything just a bit clearer.

"Jean, Luciano plans to kill us. All of us. Take our land and our countries. All of our citizens that we've protected, all the leaders we've served. He wants to rule the world basically. And we're... we're helping him."

"What!?" Jean blurted but quickly covered his mouth to stop himself from drawing attention. Sebastian was also extremely shocked but his reaction was only noticeable in his widened eyes and a slight shift in his position.

"Jean, Luciano's known something from the very start that we didn't. Our... counterparts and ourselves. We're linked together and-and in more ways than one too. Not only are we the same country... but we're also the same life.

"Literally I mean if one of us dies then we both die. It's like our bodies are connected to the same flame. And when that flame dies out then so do we..."

"That's why Luciano had use bait all of our counterparts into that warehouse and then set it to blow. He knew that if he killed them then we'd die next and by the time our citizen's woke up the next morning they'd be part of Italian territory. But that didn't work all as he expected. He planted bait in that one log cabin. Bait that was supposed to lead the remaining stragglers into the warehouse. But one of them stayed behind and that's when Luciano had to do Plan B, which was burn the place. And that's exactly what he did.

"And whoever was in that building met a lot to Kuro. And that's when he ran in... and ended up dead.

"But by this point Luciano's realized that our counterparts aren't dead. They're alive somehow, escaped the blast radius and made it out alive. Which is why none of us have fallen yet. But until we do he won't stop... and that's what really scares me." Jean nodded, understanding everything just a bit more. He was at least glad that Lanzo and his suspicions were correct but this news was far more devastating than he wished.

"Merci Oliver. This information will be put to go use. This will all be over soon... I promise."

And then they fell silent. Sebastian figured their conversation was over officially and he needed to get away before they realized their talk had been eavesdropped on. He crept back over to the door before his foot slipped and a couple of objects fell over, drawing the duo's attention immediately.

"...What was that?" Oliver asked as they moved over to investigate.

Feeling rushed, Sebastian moved over to the door and scooted inside without a second extra. He was glad to have slipped away with such ease but now he needed to speak to Lanzo, immediately. And last he saw, the Prussian had snuck off into the basement where he seemed to spend most of his time.

So that's where he went. Avoiding the group of people in the living room/general dining room area, he went down the steps and entered the sleeping quarters. He remained silent upon entrance and until he actually saw Lanzo who seemed to be laying down on a mat, staring up at the roof.

"Abend." Lanzo muttered after glancing slightly over to the left before turning back to stare at the roof.

"...Tarde," Sebastian finally replied after a moment as he moved farther into the room. "Lanzo I need to speak with you." This drew the German's attention, obviously for a lot of different reasons. As far as he knew his message to Gilbert was a success as Shay had returned unscathed, but that was only assuming that whoever did get a hold of the note didn't hurt the poor bird (Which obviously ruled out Luciano and similar, since they'd probably dissect him.)

"W-what do you need to talk about?" He asked as he quickly sat up, barely avoiding from hurting himself.

"Kuro."

"What about Kuro?"

"Did he tell you anything before he got himself killed?"

"What?"

"Did he tell _you_ anything before he got himself _killed_?" Lanzo glanced at Sebastian, slightly irritated and angered but trying not to show it too much. It wasn't that he was angry that the Spaniard had confronted him about the topic, but simply his wording. How he seemed to put it, it was all Kuro's fault that he was "killed" and Luciano had nothing to do with it whatsoever. Luciano didn't put someone of importance in that burning building and forced Kuro to go in and risk his own life in order to save them. But maybe Sebastian was just ignorant.

"Why do you care?"

"Because it's-"

"Ah, good." Sebastian and Lanzo both turned to the doorway, turning on their heels and their facial features turning shocked. There stood Luciano, Leonardo, and Allan. For how long they were unsure but they only hoped that they hadn't heard too much. But it was rather hard to think clearly when you're staring down the barrel of a revolver.

"Good job Sebastian, you caught the traitor~" Luciano hummed, his brother smiled. Lanzo gulped.

"Traitor?" Sebastian asked, already knowing the answer but trying to not be so obvious.

"Sì. Lanzo here has been seeping information out to our counterparts as of recent. We saw him send out his stupid little bird with a message attached. Sure enough it was sent straight to one of their houses." Lanzo's hands turned into fists. He had known from the very beginning that it was risky, but he hadn't expected it to get this bad this quickly. And now he was trapped with no way kept his aim on Lanzo's head, Allan moving closer to restrain him.

"Did you really think you'd get that far poco Prussiana?"

* * *

"You want to turn back on the security system?" Vash asked, looking up from his book he had been glancing over more than reading.

"Ja. If we have any intentions to keep people in and others out then a security system is what we need." Ludwig replied. Vash nodded, agreeing that a security system would help out a good bit.

"Maybe so," He began, standing up from his seat and placing the book on a nearby coffee table. "But we'll have to mess with the settings on it a bit... I don't even know if the damn thing's working right." He crossed his arms and looked Ludwig in the eye. "Any ideas?"

Ludwig shrugged. "We'll just have to look around a bit. I know the American has one somewhere in here."

"And it's not already activated?"

"Apparently not." Vash sighed.

"Alright let's go find it. It'll give us something to do anyway..."

. . .

"Oh no... this is bad. This is very bad!" Arthur exclaimed, causing Vladimir to jump from his spot and nearly drop his journal.

"W-what is it?" He asked after shakily getting to his feet and heading to meet Arthur across the room.

"The spell... it has another requirement." He said after reading over the bit again and again, not wanting to believe it.

"Are you serious?!" The other asked, snatching the book and reading over the spell again. They had just spent the last couple of hours rehearsing their parts of the spell. They didn't need to but until they had Lukas they might as well get the phrases and whatnot down while they had the chance.

Now the news of another requirement was near heart wrenching. This requirement could create or destroy plenty of events and the process altogether. Especially one like this, which was a complete game changer.

"There's a freakin time limit!?" Vladimir blurted out, becoming both irritated and pissed as Arthur already was.

"It would appear so, and this means that we need to get Lukas back here ASAP. He said he's already arrived so he should show up soon. But we might as well inform the others of this discovery... it's a rather terrible one."

"Agreed. But please make sure it's the last one okay? I don't want to be surprised again."

"Yes, me neither. Let's hurry though, if this statement is true then that means we only have so long before we lose our time slot. And if we lose our time slot who knows when we'll get it back... it could be millions of years from now for all I know."

"Why is there even a time limit?!"

"It seems as though there's only so long that a certain loophole can be opened. When you try transporting one being it opens for a few seconds, being able to transport that single person through it without much more trouble."

"But..."

"But when you try transporting multiple people, generally over an average of five, it takes much more time and energy as you can obviously tell. That means that the loophole can only be opened for so long and not all of them may go through, causing misconfiguration and similar. But if we send them through at a specific time, because of the way the universe is currently set up then it guarantees that they will get through safely."

"But only if we send them in at that exact time frame?"

"Yes."

"Great."

. . .

"What do you mean he wasn't there!?"

"What I mean bastard... IS THAT HE WASN'T THERE!"

"But that doesn't make any sense! He sent Arthur a message saying he had arrived."

"Well he must of left before we arrived because we didn't find him."

"... Do you think the two-ps got to him first?"

All heads turned to Matthew who had been sitting right next to them, patiently waiting for a moment to speak. But of course that didn't seem like it would be coming anytime soon so he decided to instead speak up and break the yelling match that had started upon the news given by the two last arrivals.

They were, at the moment, discussing or, more or less, arguing over the topic of Lukas. Lovino and Francis had returned telling of their time at the airport, which had been extended a good bit after learning that even though the Norwegian had reportedly arrived, he was nowhere to be found.

This obviously drew multiple alarms and now people were panicking, some silently others... not so much.

"I sure as hell hope not aru..." Yao muttered, crossing his arms and looking to the side. Right now they needed Lukas more than they ever had before. And with him gone they had a definite problem.

"What if they did?"

"Let's not jump to conclusions so quickly Amerika..."

"But what if they_ did_? Then what do we do? Do we force Kuro to tell us where and then storm the place? Even if we do, why didn't we do that from the very beginning to get back Feliciano?"

"Because it's risky idiota. Storming the place risks the hostages getting killed. You should know that!"

"It could still work!"

"But are we willing to put Feliciano's life at risk even further?"

"I swear to god if you get my brother killed I'll have your head on a stake!"

"Ey, Roma calm down."

"Don't call me that you bastard!"

"This is getting out of hand quickly aru!"

"Where's Heracles-san?"

"Dang it Kiku, speak up!"

"Y-yes sir!"

"We still need to decide what we're going to do about Norvegiya."

"Why do you suddenly care Ivan? You didn't seem to a moment ago."

"Al calm down!

"Amerika I would prefer if you'd stay out of my face. We don't want you getting hurt da?"

"Will one of you schwachsinnige do something!?"

"There's nothing we can do Gil."

"Well we have to do something Liz, they're going to tear each other apart."

"Th'n why don't you get inta it _Mr. Awesome_?"

"Shut up Ross!"

"You know he's right."

"Oh great and here comes the aristocrat deciding to point out something else that doesn't meet his royal standards. Weren't you the one that said it's not nice to argue in other people's houses?"

"Gilbert!"

"Oui, calm down! We don't need another fight to break out!"

"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" And just like that everyone stopped. It had seemed that Arthur had wandered in with intentions to share the even more dreadful news that most seemed like they weren't in the mood for when he instead found himself in the position to take back control.

"Merci mon chéri." Francis muttered, just to break the silence ever so slightly. Arthur just sighed.

"Now that that's over with, Vladimir and I have very important news. Vlad?" The Romanian stepped forward with the spell book under his arm.

"We have very, very bad news. You see, it would seem that Arthur has discovered another requirement hidden away in the spell description. It would appear that, in order to send back all the two-ps at once, we need to deploy the spell within two days or else we lose our required time frame. And once we lose that, we lose our only chance."

"...Why don't you just send them back one by one?"

"Because that takes up time and energy and if we were to stick to doing that it could take near weeks to fully send them all home. And by that time Luciano could kill more people. We're not willing to take that risk which means we need to act as soon as possible. Has Lukas arrived yet?" Everyone fell silent again, no one with a reply. It took a moment but Arthur and Vladimir quickly realized what that unbearable silence actually meant. "...They took him."

. . .

It was nearly impossible for them to remain calm after hearing that news. But they tried their best and poofed up a plan a good hour later.

"Alright we'll send four people into the two-p's base after getting the location from Kuro. When we send those four in their goal is to find and escort Lukas out of the building and to safety. If you can feel free to get a hold of Feliciano as well but until you can, don't risk it. Also try to avoid running into any two-ps at all costs. This plan will go into full effect tomorrow morning after we rest and eat. We'll also decide then who to send in. Any ques-"

Then they heard a knock on the door.

There was three knocks in total, spaced out about half a second each. All loud and obvious as the room fell silent. No one was really sure what to do. Ludwig and Ross eventually stood up and went over to the door, peaking out briefly to see no one there before opening the door. They figured someone would jump out and try to attack them but no one was there. All there was, was a CD in a see through case located right at their feet. Written on it in sharpie was "Surprise Surprise".

Ross picked it up and brought it back inside, handing it over to Alfred who seemed as confused as everyone else. They debated on what to do before finally deciding to put it into a player and watch it on the big flat screen TV. So they put it in, started the TV up, dimmed the lights, and watched.

At first it was just a black screen. There was some muffled sound but aside from that, there was nothing. But that was at first. You could see the motion of a camera, previously facing the ground but now moving up to look at something. First you saw a pair of feet tied to the front two legs of an old chair. The ropes were obviously tight and they seemed rather uncomfortable. Then the camera moved up again, zooming out a little bit. You saw their pants, specifically jeans, that appeared to have blood splattered on them. You could also see the shadow of someone nearby. Moving up farther, their torso was identified. A white hoodie that was also bloodied. Blood came down from above and across the front. Their arms and chest were tied up, also tightly, against the back of the chair. Now the shadow was trailed up to a large figure, back to the camera but leather jacket visible. And then their face was revealed. And that's when people realized what was going on.

It was none other than Lanzo himself in that chair, battered heavily as it was obvious. Blood flowed down the side of his head from several heavy hitting blows. His lip was slit and his nose near broken. The collar of his hoodie was open, revealing his shirt that was an obvious sign of attack as his entire chest was scattered with small cuts. The camera stopped moving, being placed down on a flat surface and then left there.

Then Luciano appeared. Just about everyone appeared pissed when he strolled onto the scene.

"Go get Kuro." Arthur ordered. "He needs to see this."

Luciano walked up next to Lanzo and placed a hand on the back of the chair, leaning against it. Allan stood to the side, the shadow of his bat being faintly noted.

"Ciao bastardi, it's me again. And look who I've got a hold of~" He placed a hand on the back of Lanzo's neck, pulling his head back slightly to fully allow the viewers to see the wounds inflicted on his face and neck area. Gilbert clenched his hand, keeping it low so as to not be so obvious. By this point Kuro had arrived. His hands still restrained and himself having a bit of trouble walking but being supported up by Heracles who had fetched him in the first place. And just by the expression on his face you could tell that Kuro was out right enraged.

"Did you idioti really think you could slip a spy past me so easily? I knew you had one on your side, I always did. I just played along so you'd think you were safe. And now look at what's happening to your poor friend here..." That was the signal for Allan to come up and land another strike to Lanzo's head. It was strong one that make plenty of sound on contact, exaggerating the power behind it and forcing the Prussian's head to violently turn to the side.

Lanzo grunted, head remaining low as he began to cough up blood, repetitively gagging. Kuro muttered something in Japanese but it was too low for anyone to be able to fully identify.

"Take this as a warning. With the snap of my fingers I could have you all taken down one by one. But, that wouldn't be very fun now would it? Just know this, as long as I'm alive... none of you are safe." Luciano moved away from Lanzo as Allan stepped forward, bat at the ready. Luciano positioned himself so he'd take up most of the screen and you could only hear the pained sounds Lanzo was emitting as he was beaten.

Luciano smiled, a glimmer in his eyes. "Ci vediamo presto."

* * *

Idiotas = Idiots (Spanish)

Angleterre = England (French)

Merci = Thank You (French)

Abend = Evening (German)

Tarde = Evening (Spanish)

Poco Prussiana = Little Prussian (Italian)

Amerika = America (Russian)

Idiota = Idiot (Italian)

Norvegiya = Norway (Russian)

Da = Yes (Russian)

Schwachsinnige = Morons (German)

Oui = Yes (French)

Mon Chéri = My Good Man (French)

Ciao = Hello (Italian)

Bastardi = Bastards (Italian)

Idioti = Idiots (Italian)

Ci Vediamo Presto = See You Soon (Italian)

**A/N: **

****Sigh**

**I regret everything and yet nothing**

**So yeah. Shit just went down. Lukas seems to be really getting onto Allan's nerves, just a bit. Jean and Oliver had a nice little scene and Sebastian has learned a few things. Lanzo's got caught /finally/ and now he's getting the shite beat outta him. Arthur and Vladimir found out that the disappearance of Lukas is really going to hurt them, and all these things going around are really getting into people's heads. Kuro has an even better reason to know murder Luciano. You know, aside the fact that he basically set Kiku on fire but now he's also beating his best friend. It's not looking good for them one way or another.  
**


	23. Chapter 23: The Beginning of the End: P1

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

**The Beginning of the End: Part 1**

It was time.

Finally time.

The others, they were all asleep. Most refused to speak after watching that video. They just went off to an area of the house and fell into slumber.

Deep, deep slumber.

And it all played in his favor. He had gained all the information he needed. Every last word. And know all he needed to do was share it. Tell Luciano exactly what he needed to know. And what better time to do so, then in the middle of the night? The only problem with that was the fact that some people were sleeping in the living room, in the way of his path to the door. Some were lucky enough to get onto the couch, others being left with the floor. It was a matter of whether or not you managed to claim said sleeping area first.

He moved over them stealthily, carefully. Stepping over each and every one of them, and trying his best to avoid making any floorboards creak. He continued on and eventually managed to get to the door after recovering from a close call stumble that would of ended in his definite discovery.

But now he was just about home free. He grabbed the doorknob and unlocked it, the faint clicking noise being heard within close range. He turned the knob, pulling the door open. It was then that he jumped as a piercing, unforgiving beeping sound echoed throughout the house as it was emitted from hidden speakers. It took him a moment, but he soon realized that the security system had gone off when he opened the door.

But he had thought he shut it off a few days prior, and no one seemed to take much notice to the missing red light.

Yet that didn't matter right now, as it would seem he had a much bigger problem as more and more people began to wake up. He turned and bolted out the door, heading down the same path he had taken before. The others would realize quickly that someone had snuck out and was now going to Luciano's location which they most likely had no idea of where that would be.

Ivan could hear the others yelling behind them, stumbling over each other as they tried to understand what had just happened. He knew they would remain in that state for a good bit of time, long enough for him to give the information and then return.

Also plenty of time to prepare for their wrath that was going to come whether he liked it or not.

Meanwhile, everyone had piled into the living room. Ludwig and Vash had silently cheered knowing that their plan to reset the security system was well worth it, even after the hours they spent searching and then programming it after it had been mysteriously shut off prior.

At first everyone had just figured that a burglar had tried to break in, picking the lock and sneaking inside but then becoming startled by the alarm going off and fleeing. But they now figured otherwise when they took a headcount and realized they were missing someone.

"Who got out?"

* * *

After the video was shot Luciano had tried, along with help of others, to get any information out of Lanzo as they could. He obviously knew plenty of things as he had been exchanging information in secret between himself and his counterpart, and what they spoke about wasn't shared amongst others until recently.

So the torture continued afterwards, Lanzo was beaten senseless to the point where every feeling in his body was numbed. His blood stained every article of clothing he wore, and he could no longer hold his head high as his energy had depleted. The most noise he could make were grunts or inaudible words. Shaking his head was at this point impossible and he was left to suffer whenever he couldn't answer the questions.

He found that saying no had a lesser punishment then not answering the question at all, Luciano obviously hated to be ignored more than he hated to hear something he didn't want to. Eventually Allan got bored and left along with a couple of others, leaving Lanzo to face the devil alone. But this only lasted so long as Luciano was also annoyed and at the point of giving up as well.

Then an idea popped into his head and he decided that though now he would leave, it would be with a couple of words that he hoped would stick in Lanzo's mind for a while. He started for the door as he began.

"Well it's seems like you won't be of any use to us Lanzo, as you're more stubborn than we had first expected. But it's not a matter, we already have the information we truly need. Anything we would get of you would just of been a bit of a... bonus. But don't worry, I'm sure we'll get everything we need out of poor little Kuro,"

Luciano stopped and looked over his shoulder, his infamous sly smile present. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Lanzo had, at this point, tensed as not much more of a reaction was possible. His hands balled but weakly as they shook and his mouth gaped open as he tried to look for words he could say if any at all. Luciano was at the very least satisfied and left the room, knowing that this either meant that Lanzo figured Kuro was still alive, or he had known all along and thought that Luciano didn't which, quite honestly, he hadn't.

He would of sworn he had burnt that pest in the flames of that old cabin, but it would appear otherwise at the very least. Which meant another threat towards himself.

But if he knew anything it also meant that Kuro was in a rather dire state as of now. A fight with him would most likely seem laughable one-sided. In fact now that he thought about it, he wouldn't mind to fight Kuro head on again. He would have a very obvious advantage and would definitely use it to the fullest.

All he really wanted was to finally strike Kuro down once and for all.

Especially after everything that had happened, everything that had changed. At some points, Luciano felt guilty. Otherwise he only felt rage. Tons and tons of pent up rage that he had just been dying to let out for so damn long.

In the other room Luciano's companions were trying to wrestle some more information out of Lukas. He knew what this spell was, how it worked, and how to use it and the two-ps wanted to know if there were other ways they could postpone it. But so far they were gaining nothing as Lukas refused to speak a word and they had been informed to use nonlethal ways of interrogation.

Obviously this was not working well for them at all but they weren't allowed to go against Luciano's word as it would cause conflict to erupt. Allan had already been escorted out by a few when he started to slowly enter his fit of rage that no one likely wanted to see.

He was stuck outside with Leonardo while Kasper, Viktor, and Jian all tried to squeeze the smallest bit of information out of the stubborn Norwegian.

Along with this the word of Lanzo's betrayal and torture had already spread around by this point and now people were getting antsy. Jean and Oliver were more nervous than anything as they feared that they would also be exposed and then receive the same punishment as the poor albino, leaving less and less people to fight in the supposed resistance.

"What do we do now? With Lanzo compromised it's only so long until they figure us out too... what if they already did?!"

"Oliver calm down." Jean scolded, trying to retake control of the situation.

"If they knew about us they would of taken us when they took Lanzo. Luciano knows how much of a threat we would be otherwise. Right now we just need to make sure that we don't draw attention to ourselves. Stay low and avoid the others. When they talk about Lanzo leave the conversation. We don't want them to think a thing about the possibility of our betrayal. Capish?"

"...Yes"

* * *

Ivan had managed to meet up with Luciano after struggling a bit to draw out his attention, shared what little information he had, and then left but not without first briefly stating that he likely would not be back again. Then he took the long walk home, making sure that he was in no sense of a rush as he did. If the others hadn't yet figured out that he was in fact the person that had back stabbed them all, then he would laugh.

He would laugh again and again as they would have to be rather oblivious to a large degree to not put the obvious puzzle pieces together and come up with a conclusion. He figured at least one person would really figure it out and whether or not the others believed them didn't matter as they would soon be proven correct.

He rounded the corner and the Jones residence came into view. The lights were on, being the only household on the entire street that was up. Everyone was still asleep and the sun hadn't even risen yet. He stopped and stared at it, briefly taking in a breath of air before continuing ahead. He wasn't exactly sure what to expect when he entered. Whether he'd be jumped the second he opened the door, or if he'd manage a few steps before being tackled. He could only wonder at this rate.

He got to the door and went up the few steps before standing there, looking down at his feet that were placed on an American Flag themed door mat. On the other side of the entrance he could hear people bustling about, trying their best not to yell but finding it all that harder not to.

He prepared himself for what was to come next as he reached for the doorknob. He turned it and found it to be unlocked, though ending up not too surprised by the discovery. He sucked in another breath before slowly opening the door.

No one seemed to really notice the movement of the object until it was three-fourths of the way open and, at that rate, Ivan's frame had already been revealed. He stepped through the door and into the house when he figured he could fit through and that's when everyone fell silent. They all stared at him, some in disbelief and others seeming less than surprised. It was just about everything he had expected.

Then the next thing he knew, he was on the floor stomach first. He didn't put up a fight while being restrained, but some still found it required to hit him or roughly push him around. He'd likely have a couple of bruises at the end of all this, maybe even a cut or too.

He was hauled down into the basement, taking Kuro's place in the chair as the other was being tended to elsewhere. He was tied up, the ropes becoming increasingly tighter each breath he took in. For the most part everyone had left, disappeared upstairs. No one spoke a word to him, usually just landing a cheap strike to him when he wasn't prepared for it.

Alfred was one of those.

He probably hit Ivan most out of everybody else. Not that the Russian hadn't seen it coming. The American would take any chance he had to inflict pain on him.

But nonetheless he eventually disappeared as well and Ivan was left in the dark to think about exactly what had just gone down. He knew they'd be back later, probably to teach him another form of a lesson that they found reasonable. And until that happened, he'd be waiting for them.

. . .

Kuro had stood to the side and watched as the superpowers wrestled Ivan to the ground. Not that he had much of a choice, he was still restrained as Alfred still refused to trust him despite how much the others did.

Heck, even Yao said that the bindings were a bit of a stretch.

But the other was stubborn and refused to listen to their reasoning.

So Kuro kept it all, every rope that dug into his skin and left burns whenever they were tugged violently when someone wanted him to move just a bit faster despite that fact that it was near impossible for him to do so. He was at least glad they had decided against gagging him again. It was a rather distasteful piece of equipment that he would happily avoid being shoved into his mouth and popping his jaw open a bit farther than he would have preferred.

It was also nice to have his wounds patched up as close to professionally as he seemed like he was ever going to get. That was at least one less thing to be complaining about.

He was also glad that he now had a bit more freedom than he did when he first arrived. It seemed like word of Kiku's rescue was spreading around quickly and people were picking up on what exactly had previously gone down. This obviously earned Kuro a good bit of respect, most ignoring the events that had happened nearly fifty years prior.

But of course there were still some that were unable to look away from what he had done in the far past and still blamed him for certain things that he had done which even he had admitted to be rather regretful.

Some just didn't seem to understand this.

But now everyone was back, upstairs and in a bit of a huddle. Kuro was left to the side with Heracles who had been told to watch the other and to not let him out of his sight. Which is the only thing he'd really done since his arrival. From where they sat they could hear the conversation going on. They were trying to figure out who should go on the rescue.

"It's already been decided that we'll send four people, we just need to know which four. Whoever we send needs to be able to help the mission in some way, that fact ignoring what their position may be as a country. We need to put that all to the side for once and look at the big picture." Ludwig informed as everyone listened and waited. "Who are we going to send?"

The room fell silent as everyone looked around, trying to figure out who to send. "I want to go."

Everyone turned their heads to see Lovino sitting with his arms crossed. Some were shocked while others sort of saw it coming. "I've come into contact with a majority of the two-ps... I have a general idea of how to outsmart them and get pass them. It might be helpful if we run into them. Plus if we get chased I can lead them away, since I'm one of the fastest here."

"So Lovino will be a part of the rescue team. Anyway else?"

"I'll go too." Alfred added quickly after. "I'm one of the strongest here. If we get into a fight I'll be able to hold most of them off."

"I think I'll join in too." Ludwig added. "If we do end up going after Feliciano I can carry him out, it'll save us the time." More agreement.

"Who else should we send?" The room fell silent. Again more thinking, people trying to figure out the best pick.

"I think Kuro-san should go." Kiku added in from the back of the room. Heads turned quickly, everyone trying to make sure they heard him right.

"Why?" Arthur asked, trying to avoid sounding rude.

"Kuro-san knows where their base is located, and he knows how to get around it too. He'll be able to show alternative ways in and which room to be looking out for. He's the most informed on the location and will avoid getting everyone lost."

"Are you mad!?" Alfred butted in from across the room, everyone now looking over at him. "Kuro's a menace! A threat! If we let him go with us, how do we know he won't jump on the opportunity to take us out when we least expect it. It's a terrible idea!"

"But you have to admit, Kuro could save us all a lot of time if he were to lead the way. We wouldn't have to deal with searching through every room, since he would just lead us to the probable ones."

"It could still be a trap!"

"How? Kuro hasn't had any time to prepare one, and after the things that Luciano's done to him, why would he help the madman aru?"

"Because he's a damn backstabber."

"...Are you still going on about World War II? Al that was fifty years ago!"

"And you expect me to just forgive him after all he's done?!"

"Well... no. But you have to at least understand that he's changed since then!"

"Matt it's not that simple. Someone doesn't just sto-"

"ALLE DIE KLAPPE HALTEN!" Gilbert yelled over the other's rant, already fed up with the idiocy going on and only becoming more annoyed as it continued. He was pissed off as well at the fact that Alfred was still blaming Kuro for things that happened long before. Gilbert knew he could trust Kuro, simply because of the letter Lanzo sent him. And he wasn't about forget about it either.

"Alfred your damn head's so high up in the clouds you don't see the fucking big picture! You still act as if Kuro only intends to do bad when it's obvious he's done just as much good, maybe even more.

"Do you not remember that he_ saved _Kiku's life?

"Hell, he put his own on the line just to do it. He ran into a burning building for fuck's sake.

"If it wasn't for him we would of lost Kiku that day. And yet you still find it necessary to bad mouth him in front of everybody else?! If you ask me, you're acting like more of a monster than he is. You treat him like trash and I think we're all just about full of it.

"So do us all a fucking favor and shut the hell up!"

No one spoke after that. They were all a bit stunned, some having their mouths gaped open as they couldn't believe such an outburst had occurred. Alfred looked irritated, but didn't say a thing after that.

"...Then it's settled. Kuro will be going as well. Any objections?" Arthur asked, looking around the room for anything. "No? Then let's get a move on."

. . .

Before departure they had decided to rummage around in Alfred's attic to see if they could locate anything of use. They weren't about to walk into this unarmed as they already knew the power of their counterparts and hand-to-hand combat had barely gotten them anywhere.

But as they searched through his stuff Alfred moved down into the basement to greet their new prisoner. He was still a bit peeved over the fact that they were now allowing Kuro a good majority of free will, but he was at least glad they weren't stupid enough to just leave Ivan to the side and not even bother with bindings.

As he entered he didn't bother to attempt to be stealthy as he saw no real purpose of it. Ivan was tied up to the chair and didn't even seem to care that much about someone else's arrival.

He kept his eyes down, scanning the blood stained ground at his feet.

Alfred walked up behind him at first, simply looking the other over before stepping in front. Ivan had taken a good bit of a beating while being moved into the room, but the wounds seemed to have little effect on him. He remained unphased nonetheless and it only made Alfred question even more what was going on inside his head.

The two remained in that room in utter silence.

Neither of them wanted to speak first for their own reasons, and in reality Alfred only came down to do two things. One was to waste time while he waited for the others to find something of use. The second was to ask Ivan a question that had been gnawing away at the side of his head since the discovery.

He figured his first purpose would be fulfilled within mere minutes so he ought to complete the second before it was too late.

"Why did you do it?"

Ivan looked up from the ground for the first time, his stone cold violet eyes staring holes into Alfred's own.

"Do what?" He replied back, minimal change in his expression being visible.

"You know what you did, damn bastard. Why did you back stab all of us?!" Alfred's irritation became obvious

Ivan chuckled.

"I figured you already knew. Not that I'm too surprised... you always were the "Never Back Down" type. It's no wonder you always got into so much trouble, Amerika." He noticed Alfred's hand ball into a fist and then be hidden away behind his back. Ivan's smile returned.

"You really are delusional. From the very beginning Luciano was winning. And he still is. It's only so long until he finally succeeds, and then everyone will fall...

"But to answer your question, I did it to protect my family.

"My sestra, Katyusha and Natasha. Maybe even Toris and his friends too. Luciano promised me that he wouldn't lay a hand on them. I knew it could all be a lie... but I wasn't willing to risk it. I just want to make sure they're all safe..."

"So you decide instead of aiding your 'comrades' in a fight to defeat him, you help him instead? There's a 40/60 chance that he's even telling the truth and you still helped him?!" Alfred spat, taking a few steps closer until their faces were no more than a few inches away from each other, his hands being placed on the arms of the chair for support. Ivan met his glare and his smile disappeared.

"First off, we are _not_ 'comrades' rebenok. Not since the war ended. And second off, I am protecting _my_ family from threats that could over power them with ease. Not that I'd expect _you_ of all people to understand."

"And what's that supposed to- !"

Suddenly they heard the basement door open and someone come down the stairs. Alfred stood up from his previous position and turned his head to see who was coming. It was quickly identified to be Ludwig who, for the most part, had not heard any of the words shared between the two.

"Time to head out." He informed the other. Alfred cracked his friendly smile and stated that he'd be up in just a moment. Ludwig nodded and left, not really thinking twice about any of it.

Ivan and Alfred exchanged a set of death glares before the two were parted by a door and four solid walls. The other three waited upstairs for his arrival, having found weapons that they considered usable at this rate. It wasn't too much, simply a metal baseball bat, an old rapier from America's "Dark Ages" and a pistol from recent warfare. They were tempted to take the rifle instead of the pistol, but figured if there was to be a break-in here then the others would likely need it more than they did. Even with this fact in mind though, Kiku still gave Kuro his katana since his own had been lost in the fire. The other was hesitant at first when it came to accepting the weapon, but Kiku had insisted and wouldn't let Kuro say no otherwise. They also took a set of walkie-talkies that would allow them to easily communicate with each other and everyone back at base, just in case.

So now they were all geared up and ready. Quick goodbyes were muttered and then they left, Kuro leading the way with the others following behind.

Lovino was given the pistol and had been informed specifically to keep the barrel against Kuro's back, just in case he happened to turn on them or run. But that didn't seem like a real problem with Alfred and Ludwig to his sides. In his current state, outrunning those two seemed near impossible.

They went down the path Ivan had gone down earlier that morning and were easily moving down the streets. Every so often a car would pass by but they all seemed oblivious to the group of people walking down the sidewalk with weapons at the ready. They figured at least one person would question them, from a distance of course as no one wanted to be within swinging range of a sword or bat. Yet not one did.

They continued in silence until eventually they were right across the street from the old butcher shop.

"This place?" Alfred asked, jaw slightly open. "I remember this place. Used to come here all the time to get meats for Thanksgiving. It was pretty popular around the holidays but the economy just wasn't doing this place any good and it had to be shut down... the building has been abandoned ever since then. I never thought this would be the place holding two captives and a group of madmen. What were the chances?" Lovino shrugged.

"Obviously pretty high. Are those bastardi really in there?" Kuro looked over his shoulder, expression remaining blank.

"Why don't you go in and find out?" Lovino was unsure whether or not that was a threat or a statement but before he could decide Ludwig was already heading across the street. The others followed and struggled to keep up with his increasing pace.

Once they got to the door step Kuro ushered them towards the back where they could go in through another door.

"I'm not sure whether or not they're up right now but I have an idea of where they put your friend. Just stay low and avoid everyone at all costs. We don't want to end up in a tussle with them..."

"Got it"

"Va bene"

"Verstanden"

. . .

The four entered quietly yet quickly. They followed Kuro who moved down a path that seemed very familiar to himself. For the most part they ran into no one until they were in the hallway of the room.

Kuro pointed out the room that Lukas was in and the one that Feliciano was in if they had a chance to snatch him. The others nodded, taking in the surroundings as they continued on. Kuro pointed out people as they began to see them. Allan was sitting in a chair in the hallway, passed out as he slumped forward. A key was barely visible in his hand, fist tightly wrapped around the base and only the end tips being visible.

They could hear a few people talking, but it was in a room they weren't really concerned with.

It was decided that Lovino would stay behind, gun at the ready just in case things got out of hand. Kuro and Alfred would go snatch the key and Ludwig would wait nearby for the signal to head in and grab Lukas.

With the plan set they moved out. Lovino sat at the corner of the hall, gun lowered with his finger placed on the outside of the trigger guard, simply waiting in anticipation. He cocked the gun briefly, a bullet loaded and at the ready. Ludwig stood behind him, standing up with a hand against the wall to give him enough room to see. They watched Kuro and Alfred crouch down and head over towards Allan, debating what to do.

"Should we knock him out?"

"No that'll make noise."

"But if we don't he might wake up."

"We don't have enough time to bother with trying to knock him out, it might fail."

"So will trying to remove the key from his hand without pulling back his fingers!"

"We'll just have to deal with it."

"You're going to get us all killed."

"Like you haven't already."

They shut up that instant when they heard Allan moved around in his seat, sitting back now instead of slumping forward. His hand remained shut despite this, and they knew they had no way out. Alfred sat to the side, bat at the ready as Kuro placed the katana down at his feet before sitting up next to the chair.

He eyed Allan before moving to remove the key. He decided to try and softly pry open the fingers so the grip would loosen and the key could be released without much of a hassle. Of course this was easier said than done as he was unsure how light of a sleeper the American was.

He began to open up his hand, doing it slowly and steadily. Allan moved slightly but not enough to be alarming. Eventually the hand was opened up wide enough and Kuro was able to slip the key out.

He was relieved and handed it over to Alfred who moved to the doorway where it was supposed to be used in.

He slipped it in and attempted to turn it but the key wouldn't budge. In fact it wouldn't even fit.

"Wrong key idiot!" He barked at Kuro who shrugged, becoming utterly confused on which door that key was meant to be used on. But that wasn't the only thing they noticed, though the second they discovered far too late.

Allan had awoken, and was very well awake when they arrived.

It was all a set up if it wasn't obvious enough and he knew he had the jump on them when their backs were turned. He lunged forward and grabbed Kuro, putting him in a solid choke hold. "THEY'RE HERE!" He yelled as he struggled to keep Kuro in place while choking him out, something that Kuro was not about to happen so easily.

"THEY'RE HERE!" He yelled again, ducking under a swing from Alfred's bat after he had jumped up from his crouching position.

"Go help them!" Lovino ordered, ducking down while aiming the pistol at the other hallway. Ludwig nodded and ran over, landing a punch in the gut of the unsuspecting Allan, who lost his hold on Kuro and ended up being met with a straight back kick to the jaw, causing him and the chair to both fall over.

"Come on we need to hurry." Ludwig warned, running over to the door that was presumably locked.

"It won't open the key didn't work." Alfred noted, throwing the useless piece of metal to the side. Ludwig tried anyway, and was annoyed to discover that the door was in fact unlocked. The two both glared at the American before moving inside. Sure enough Lukas was there, seeming alone in the room. But they weren't quick enough to react as they were soon surrounded.

Hiding in the shadows, likely after Allan had called, was Andrew, Viktor, and Kasper who were all armed and ready for a fight. In the hallway the trio also heard gunshots go off, assuming Lovino had also been ambushed.

"I told you..." Kuro muttered as the three all backed up into a corner. Lukas watched, hating the fact that he was unable to do a thing about the situation. Everyone was able to make out a series of loud curse words outside of the room, only imagining the worse.

"So you really weren't dead..." Kasper began, looking over at Kuro who stared back. He chuckled. "I can't wait to hand Luciano your head."

* * *

Gilbert was pacing, back and forth nonstop. Something was obviously getting to him but what was unidentifiable to others. Most ignored him either way as they discussed what they were to do if the rescue mission was a failure. Most expected it to be a success but of course they still needed a Plan B just in case.

But the albino cared little about that as he couldn't help but worry sick over Lanzo's well being.

That video had him spooked and now he could only hope and pray that Lanzo was not dead, or at least near it. He knew if the other was dead he would already be effected by it, but the thought of him going through seemingly endless sessions of pain and misery was not ensuring at all.

His pacing seemed to be only annoying one person in particular, who found it hard to listen to his brother explain everything while someone was nervously moving back and forth behind him.

Eventually he got fed up and stood, walking around to the back of the couch and confronting the other.

"Oi Gil." Ross muttered, drawing the other's attention and briefly stopping him.

"Hm?" He said in some form of a reply. Ross sighed, rubbing his forehead before dropping his hand to his side.

"Somethin's buggin' you and quite honestly it's getting a bit trying. Mind explaining yourself?" He crossed his arms, meeting the other eye to eye. Gilbert sighed.

"It's nothing really just some... issues." Ross half-heartedly laughed.

"If th'se so called "issues" are more 'mportant than the meeting we're having right now, then do share." Gilbert shook his head.

"I doubt you'd understand."

"Go ahead n' try me then."

"No really it doesn't concern you-"

"At this point I don't seem ta care now do I?"

"...Fine." Gilbert said, finally giving in and wanting to stop the pointless arguing. "You remember that video last night right?"

"With th' kid and that psycho? Yeah how could I forget."

"Uh... yeah. Anyway that kid's a really close friend of mine and... I'm just really worried for him. I keep thinking that he's just going through more pain that he doesn't deserve and it's my fault for putting him in that situation and... and I just feel bad and I'm worried sick." Gilbert looked down at his feet, not wanting to see Ross' face.

But he was drawn to look up anyway when he heard the other begin to laugh.

"What the hell are you laughing about? You think this is funny!?" Ross stopped, smile still on his face.

"Course not, a poor kid gettin' tortured is never funny. But what is funny is that the "Awesome Prussia" is just sittin around moping 'bout it when he should be out there, saving his bud. Wouldn't ya agree?"

"Yeah I guess but... me going in alone is way too dangerous you know?" Ross laughed again.

"Who says you gotta go alone?"

"Who's going to be crazy enough to go with me?"

"You're lookin right at 'im."

* * *

ALLE DIE KLAPPE HALTEN = EVERYONE SHUT UP (German)

Amerika = America (Russian)

Sestra = Sisters (Russian)

Rebenok = Child (Russian)

Bastardi = Bastard (Italian)

Va Bene = Alright (Italian)

Verstanden = Understood (German)

**A/N: HAHAHA **

**It's almost over. This story is almost over. How long till it will be, who knows. It'll be a minimum of three chapters [Including this one], maybe even a few more depending on how much content I can come up with in the time I have. But yes, things are going dooooown.**

**To all of those who guessed Ivan as the spy, give yourself a pat on the back. Unless of course I told you then you can go kick yourself in the shin. Don't ask me how to do it, you can figure it out on your own.**

**And of course I needed to add in that nice little encounter between Alfie and Ivan, as the truth is revealed that even though he did back stab them it was only to help people he cared about more than you might of first guessed. Also now Kuro is gaining more and more respect and trust from the others, even Gil who stood up for him in front of everyone after Alfred tried to persuade everybody about how bad of a guy he is.**

**And now the mission has begun and so far it's not looking too good for the rescuers as they're already in deep water. Expect massive fight scenes and plenty of surprises along the line. I'm hoping to be able to put in plenty of final fights that you guys have been dying to see. Also Ross is being a good guy with helping Gilbert out with his "issues" and now it's only so long until the Magic Trio meets their deadline. **

**And who do you guys think will win in the end? The One-Ps or the Two-Ps? You can go ahead and figure out what that means, as I go and take a break from writing. **

**Ciao~**


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